Press Release
Protest Monday December 27th 2021 FREE ANTUAN! Court Support in Fall River
Monday December 27th 2021 @ 9AM – Fall River District Court: 186 S Main St, Fall River, MA
Come and Support Antuan Castro del Rio at his hearing to have all charges dismissed on Monday in Fall River. He was arrested on several charges at a protest on October 18th in Fall River after objecting to another protestors arrest. He and a group of activists were counterprotesting a Blue Lives Matter, pro-Trump rally held outside city police headquarters at 685 Pleasant Street in Fall River, MA.
His statement from the facebook event page follows, here is a link to it https://fb.me/e/1aHLNQ2D4 . Mr Castro del Rio can be reached by media for comment at Joancaderibe@hotmail.com
Antuan’s statement from facebook Event page – ” The prosecution of Antuan Castro del Rio is a clear example of a Black Lives Matter activist being targeted and jailed by local law enforcement for the crime of protesting. On October 18, 2020, a young Latino activist, Antuan Castro del Rio, was protesting police violence and racism in front of the Fall River police station with a group of Black Lives Matter protesters. The action was a counter protest to supporters of Donald Trump who want arbitrary racist repression directed against Black folks to continue. As usual, the police on the scene saw it as their duty to serve as supporters of the ultra-rightist movement and to victimize supporters of racial justice. An officer on the scene reported that he was “directed to monitor the crowd of BLM/Anti-Police protesters.” And as one might expect, BLM protester Matthew Scott was arrested for doing absolutely nothing! Then Antuan was arrested while objecting to Matthew’s arrest. Antuan was then thrown up against a police car while holding his megaphone and cuffed by police. He was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and vandalizing a police car! His real “crime” was defending free speech and opposing the growth of a fascist movement in this country… The only assaults occurring at the scene that day were carried out by the Fall River police. After his arrest, Antuan was also cited for driving on a suspended license– a totally bogus false charge! What is playing out in Fall River is a familiar pattern. Police coddling fascists and ultra-rightists while jailing supporters of working people and the oppressed. These developments have been playing out in Massachusetts and in states across the country. This case is unfolding in the context of a deep social crisis. The death toll in the US from the coronavirus has far surpassed the total number of US deaths from World War I, World War II, the wars in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan combined. The depth of this crisis was underscored when fascist lackeys of Trump and Wall Street took over the Capitol in an effort to steal and overturn the election. Fascists have been getting a wider hearing in recent years, have been acting more boldly, and enjoy a high degree of impunity. The ultra-rightist movement seeks to counter the gains of the antiracist movement, vaccination movement, unions, and mobilizations defending women, LGBT folks, migrants, etc. They seek over time to smash the unions, steal elections, and eliminate the right of working people and the oppressed to organize independently. Antuan’s case was yet another prelude to the attempted putsch carried out by the fascist mob at the Capitol on January 6. At the Capitol, a phalanx of police officers defended the building, but were under orders to hold back on the riot response. Imagine if supporters of racial justice, working people, and the oppressed had stormed the Capitol on January 6? The top brass of the security apparatus would have insured that they would have never gotten inside. So little attention has been given to fascist elements occupying leadership responsibilities in the security apparatus! From experiences unfolding, many folks are coming to understand that the police are often fascists in uniform and cannot be relied upon to defend our rights. The case of Antuan Castro del Rio is another example of the police trying to frame up an innocent Latino man for a victimless crime while exercising his free speech rights. It demonstrates yet again the impunity enjoyed by police and ultra-rightists. Let’s unite in solidarity! “