MANILA, Philippines: Family members and followers of Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos gathered for a vigil at his tomb on Saturday, a day after his secrecy-shrouded burial at a heroes’ cemetery triggered widespread protests three decades after the strongman’s ouster.
Marcos’ widow, Imelda, clad in black, thanked supporters and local officials who traveled by bus from Marcos’ northern home province to pay their respects. She said they had given her family strength as they kept the hope for nearly 30 years to have Marcos buried at the country’s Heroes’ Cemetery, which is reserved for former presidents, national artists and soldiers.
Thousands of pro-democracy activists who rallied in Manila on Friday said the decades-long debate over Marcos’ final resting place was far from over, and they were planning more protests in the days and weeks ahead.
President Rodrigo Duterte, who gave the go-ahead for the burial, appealed for calm.
“I know Ferdinand will at last be at rest here at the Heroes’ Cemetery,” Imelda Marcos said in front of a black tomb surrounded by wreaths of white flowers. “But I know we still have a lot of criticisms to face.”
Her daughter, Ilocos Norte provincial Gov. Imee Marcos, and son Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. also thanked supporters and apologized for keeping the burial secret. The son said there were reports that anti-Marcos groups would create trouble.
The burial threatens to open old wounds in the Philippines, where Marcos’ 20-year iron-fist rule was marked by massive human rights violations and corruption. He was ousted in “people power” street protests in 1986 that sent him and his family into exile in Hawaii, where he died three years later.
Vice President Leni Robredo, who ran in May elections under Duterte’s rival party, questioned why the burial was carried out even before a Supreme Court decision allowing it has become final.
“We are alarmed by the brazenness of its execution,” she said in a speech. “Hidden wealth, hidden human rights abuses, and now a hidden burial with complete disrespect for the rule of law.”
Bonifacio Ilagan, a left-wing activist who was detained and tortured during Marcos’ rule, said the dictator was buried “like a thief in the night.”
“This is so Marcos style. I want to rush to the cemetery to protest this. I feel so enraged,” Ilagan told The Associated Press on Friday.
A lawmaker considered asking the Supreme Court to exhume the newly buried Marcos. But Duterte, who is attending an Asia-Pacific summit in Lima, Peru, said through his spokesman that “hopefully both sides will exercise maximum tolerance and come to terms with the burial.”
The powerful Marcos family has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and after returning from US exile in 1991, Imelda Marcos and two of her children eventually ran for public office and won stunning political comebacks. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ran for vice president in May and lost by a slim margin to Robredo.
In 1993, Marcos’ body was taken to his hometown in Ilocos Norte, where it was displayed in a glass coffin and became a tourist attraction. But his family fought for his remains to be transferred to the Heroes’ Cemetery.
Duterte backed Marcos’ burial, saying it was his right as a president and soldier.
Kin gather at Philippine dictator Marcos’ tomb amid protests
Kin gather at Philippine dictator Marcos’ tomb amid protests
Row erupts in UK over support for British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah
- Arab Spring campaigner’s ‘abhorrent’ social media posts resurface after he arrived in Britain following release from Egyptian prison
- PM Starmer criticized for glowing welcome to activist who had previously been supported by both Tory and Labour governments
LONDON: The UK prime minister is facing criticism after he celebrated the return to Britain of a human rights activist who was recently released from an Egyptian prison but whose past social media posts apparently contained violent and antisemitic language.
Successive British governments have campaigned for the release of Alaa Abd El-Fattah, a dual national who had been imprisoned in Egypt for most of the past 14 years. He returned to the UK on Friday after Egyptian authorities lifted a travel ban that had forced him to remain in the country since he was freed in September.
But a senior member of the opposition Conservative Party on Saturday criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer for giving a “personal, public endorsement” to Abd El-Fattah when Starmer said he was “delighted” the activist had been reunited with his family in Britain.
Robert Jenrick, the Conservative spokesman on justice issues, demanded to know whether Starmer knew about historical social media posts in which Abd El-Fattah allegedly endorsed killing “Zionists’’ and police. Jenrick also called on Starmer to condemn Abd El-Fattah’s statements and withdraw his “unalloyed endorsement” of the activist.
“Nobody should be imprisoned arbitrarily nor for peaceful dissent,’’ Jenrick wrote. “But neither should the prime minister place the authority of his office behind someone whose own words cross into the language of racism and bloodshed.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement that it had been “a long-standing priority” of governments under both major parties to work for Abd El-Fattah’s release. But that does not imply an endorsement of his social media posts, the spokesman said.
“The government condemns Mr. El-Fattah’s historic tweets and considers them to be abhorrent,” the statement said, using a slightly different style for his last name.
Abd El-Fattah’s family in the UK had vigorously campaigned for his release, arguing that he had spent most of the past 14 years behind bars because of his opposition to the government of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.
His mother, Laila Soueif, 69, staged a 10-month hunger strike to pressure British authorities to do more to secure her son’s release.
Starmer on Friday paid tribute to Abd El-Fattah’s family and all the others who campaigned for his freedom.
“I’m delighted that Alaa Abd El-Fattah is back in the UK and has been reunited with his loved ones, who must be feeling profound relief,” Starmer said.
But soon after Abd El-Fattah arrived at London’s Heathrow Airport, critics began circulating historical social media posts in which he appeared to endorse the killing of Zionists and police.
The Times of London reported that Abd El-Fattah has previously said the comments were taken out of context and were part of a “private conversation” that took place during an Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Abd El-Fattah’s press team didn’t immediately response to a request for comment, and it was not immediately clear whether the posts were authentic.
