Thursday’s large Google doodle honored the late Japanese-American activist Yuri Kochiyama, whom Wikipedia calls “one of the few prominent non-black black separatists.” And while the Washington Post lauded her for her “fierce sense of patriotism,” some of her past quotes say otherwise.
Like the fact that Kochiyama, who died in 2014 in her 90s, expressed admiration for Osama bin Laden.
I’m glad that you are curious why I consider Osama bin Laden as one of the people that I admire. To me, he is in the category of Malcolm X, Che Guevara, Patrice Lumumba, Fidel Castro, all leaders that I admire. They had much in common. Besides being strong leaders who brought consciousness to their people, they all had severe dislike for the US government and those who held power in the US. I think all of them felt the US government and its spokesmen were all arrogant, racist, hypocritical, self-righteous, and power hungry.
She didn’t care what Americans feel about bin Laden, as the U.S government is “loathsome”.
…bin Laden has been primarily fighting US dominance even when he received money from the US when he was fighting in Afghanistan. He was fighting for Islam and all people who believe in Islam, against westerners, especially the US–even when he was fighting against the Russians…I do not care what the US government or Americans feel–I think it’s shameful what this government has done from the beginning of its racist, loathsome history.
Here she is linking terrorism to capitalism
As for imperialism, which is a policy of extending power and control, and usually by military force and hegemony, the government of the United States is the best example. Imperialism, terrorism and war go hand in hand. But it begins with capitalism, private ownership and profit-making.
Kochiyama was also a friend of Assata Shakur, a black separatist who was convicted of murdering a New Jersey state trooper before escaping a U.S. prison and finding asylum in Cuba. According to Wikipedia, Kochiyama compared Shakur to Malcom X and convicted cop-killer Mumia Abu Jamal. Kochiyama was also a supporter of the Shining Path, which terrorized Peru in the 1980s.
