SOA Watch protesters face charges in court today
Two School of the Americas Watch protesters, including one dressed in a sad clown face, will be in U.S. District Court today for unlawful entry into Fort Benning during the annual 25th annual protest last year against the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation.
Robert Norman Chantal, 62, of Americus, Ga., and Eve Tetaz, 83, of Washington, D.C., potentially face up to six months in prison when they face Judge Stephen Hyles at 9 a.m. Chantal and Tetaz were among the 1,336 people who gathered near the Stone Gate on Nov. 23 to remember the victims of violence in Latin America and call for the closing of the institute, which opened in 2001. Before changing its name and curriculum, the institute operated as the School of the Americas from 1984 to 2000.
Henrik Voss, national organizer for SOA Watch, said the group's legal team has been in Columbus preparing for the case.
"They knew they potentially face up to six months in prison," Voss said Wednesday. "But they knew the risk is definitely worth it to get the word out about what is happening at the School of the Americas and to stand in solidarity with the people in Latin America who have suffered the consequences."
Voss described Chantal and Tetaz as very solid and committed peace activists. This was Chantal's third time entering the post. It was the first unlawful entry for Tetaz, a retired public school teacher and an experienced activist in direct nonviolent action.
Dressed in a sad clown face, Chantal is accused of making a short speech around 11:30 a.m., tossing a piece of fabric on the barbed wire and climbing a ladder over the boundary fence. He then climbed atop the Fort Benning sign and attempted to remove it, according to court documents.
Chantal was taken into custody by Department of the Army guards after he climbed down from the sign. The incident was videotaped and may be presented as evidence at trial.
More than two hours before Chantal entered the post, officials said Tetaz understood what she was doing when she walked up to the Interstate 185 gate around 9 a.m. and was arrested. At the gate, she asked the government to stop the human rights violations by graduates of the institute.
Protesters from across the nation have converged in front of the Benning Road gate since the 1989 massacre in El Salvador was linked to graduates of the School of the Americas.
The Rev. Roy Bourgeois, founder of SOA Watch, said he had lunch with Tetaz on Wednesday and Chantal was expected in Columbus later Wednesday night. The pair will be represented by Anna Lellelid-Douffet of Covington, La., and William P. Quigley of New Orleans.
"She is feeling real good," he said of Tetaz. "She is a strong, committed person."
Bourgeois recalled when the organization had 30 to 40 people before the federal judge but noted the numbers are fewer now.
"Whether there is one or 40, it kind of energizes the movement," he said.
This story was originally published January 28, 2015 at 9:04 PM with the headline "SOA Watch protesters face charges in court today."