May Day protesters in Puerto Rico demand expulsion of Financial Oversight Board

In Puerto Rico, protesters rallied outside the San Juan offices of the Financial Oversight and Management Board, a nonelected body imposed by the U.S. government that controls the island’s budget.

Workers demanded the board’s expulsion from Puerto Rico as debt has led to unprecedented austerity measures including cuts to public education, pensions and workers’ benefits.

Hilcia Guadalupe, an organizer and teacher from Vieques, where protesters pushed out the U.S. Navy 20 years ago, at the May Day action in San Juan, told reporters:  “Vieques is a reflection of what happens in the rest of the country. It is also the reflection of the greatest battles in the country.  As we say today, the U.S. Navy did not withdraw; we took them out.  The board will not withdraw; we need to take them out.”