INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT:

LETTER FROM THE ZAPATISTAS:

The following communique is from the A-Infos site. The translation was done by the El Kilombo people. If you want to follow news from Chiapas more closely the Chiapas Indymedia site(mostly in Spanish) is the best around.

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Mexico, Chiapas, Comunique of Zapatista Army for National Liberation Sixth Commission of the EZLN:

September 11, 2008

---- To the compañeras and compañeros and compañeroas adherents of the Sixth Declaration, the Other Campaign, and the Zezta Internazional:

---- To whomever feels addressed by these words:

---- Compas: How about this "compañeroa" term? For our part here we are thinking that this way we can resolve that problem of the @ sign, and go a little further. Because, as the deceased Elias Contreras always said, it turns out that... Well, I'm starting off a little muddled. Here we go again:

---- Compas:

---- First of all, receive zapatista greetings. We are writing you all (todos, todas, y todoas) in order to talk a bit about what we're thinking, as comrades in struggle.

It is not one single thought, however, but rather several. Well, it is one thought but it carries many, that is, it's a complex thought. Mixed up, you could say. And talking about it and writing about it and discussing it with you all is how we accommodate it, how it comes out clear in the end. So we thought that we'd start first things first.

And the first thing is our compañer@s who were unjustly taken prisoner those first days of May, 2006, in the savage repression against the people of San Salvador Atenco. While some have been freed, others remain unjustly imprisoned, among them the compañero Ignacio del Valle, of the People's Front in Defense of the Land. And we name him not because we are forgetting or ignoring the rest, but rather because his case is emblematic of the injustice that is a law and an institution in this suffering Mexico.

Well then, you all know more or less what happened, so what we want to talk about now is what we are going to do, as zapatistas and with other compas that aren't zapatistas but are part of the Other Campaign, that is, compañeras, compañeros and compañeroas.

As of the first days after our compañer@s of the Other Campaign and the People's Front in Defense of the Land were taken hostage by the federal government (then and now the National Action Party) and the State of Mexico (the PRI), and unjustly imprisoned, a small group of men and women of the Other Campaign set up a small encampment in front of the prison at Santiaguito.

Since then, with perseverance and without any recognition whatsoever, this encampment has maintained itself, first in front of the Santiaguito prison and later, when our prisoners were transferred, in front of the prison Molino de las Flores (also in the state of Mexico). Their demand is and has been that of all of us in the Other Campaign: freedom and justice for Atenco.

But there is more. Over the course of these more than two years, and in adverse conditions, this encampment has accompanied our prisoners and their families, assuring them that they weren't and aren't alone, that we have not forgotten.

In these more than two years, dozens of our compas-prisoners have been set free. According to our thinking, this has been thanks to the mobilizations carried out in Mexico and around the world, to the committed work of their legal defenders, and to the tenacity of this small group of compañer@s that, without any attention from the media (though with substantial attention from the federal, state, and municipal police that have not ceased to harass and threaten them), day and night they have raised the call for freedom and justice for Atenco.

In these more than two years, it's true that some have withdrawn or vacated their presence at the encampment. But there is a nucleus that has remained constant and it is this nucleus that is the assurance to our prisoners that our movement has not and will not abandon them.

As you all know, a few weeks ago that tragic farce that is Mexican legal justice dictated a new and outrageous sentence against our compas in Molino de las Flores and in the high security prison La Palma (Almoloya), in the state of Mexico, adding a link to the already long chain of injustices weighing down our compañer@s.

As of this moment, the EZLN made contact with the compañer@s that have remained firm at the encampment, with some groups, collectives, and organizations who are adherents of the Sixth Declaration, and with some of those who were prisoners and have been released. We have had and have now the goal of re-launching the National and International Campaign demanding liberty and justice for Atenco, and of maintaining a constant bridge to our compas who are still prisoner so that they feel and know that here among us they are not forgotten.

We are speaking of, therefore, not just a few actions, as fleeting as the few lines that were written about this injustice, but rather something longer lasting, constant, and effective.

Among other things, and as a result of these contacts and counsels, a variety of individuals, groups, collectives, and organizations that belong to the Other Campaign, have convened the REINFORCEMENT, IN QUALITY AND QUANTITY, OF THE ENCAMPMENT AT MOLINA DE LAS FLORES, CONVERTING IT INTO A SPACE OF ENCOUNTER OF THE OTHER CAMPAIGN, IN ADDITION TO CONVOKING, AT NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVELS, THE RENEWING OF THE CAMPAIGN TO FREE OUR PRISONERS.

We suggest that we rotate attendance at the encampment, promoting and participating in political-cultural activities in that space, and taking up the contacts that we had made in Mexico and the world to coordinate new activities in demand of justice.

With the National Network against Repression and for Solidarity (made up fundamentally by individuals, groups, collectives, and organizations of the Other Campaign), with the National Independent Union of Popular Organizations of the Left (UNOPII), and with Labor and Socialist Unity (UNIOS), and with various libertarian groups and collectives, as well as with compañeras and compañeros that have supported the Sixth Commission of the EZLN in the Other Campaign, we have agreed upon a calendar of participation and activities that are to begin this September 16th, 2008, on the third anniversary of our movement.

That is why we are writing you. To invite you to attend the encampment at Molino de las Flores, and to participate in the activities to take place there, and to, in your own groups, collectives, and organizations, and in the local, regional, and state work units of the Other Campaign, to propose and carry out actions in demand of liberty and justice for Atenco.

Compañeroas, compañeras, and compañeros:With this small effort we invite you to say, along with us, and to remind ourselves and everyone else, that WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN... not our prisoners nor those who have imposed this injustice upon them.

That is all, compañeros, compañeras and compañeroas. Soon we will send you, on the Third Anniversary of the Other Campaign (that is, September 16 of this year), another convocation for an activity that perhaps will interest you.

Vale. Cheers and may the other reaffirm its existence.

LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ATENCO!

From the mountains of the Mexican Southeast.

Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos.Mexico, September of 2008.

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translation of EZLN communique From:"El Kilombo" < elkilombo@gmail.com >

MEXICO:

COMMUNIQUE FROM CHIAPAS:

The following English translation of an article that originally appeared at the Chiapas Indymedia site in Spanish was recently published at the A-Infos site. There have been updates at Chiapas Indymedia, and readers who understand Spanish are urged to consult that site.

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Communique from Caracol's in Chiapas- War to Resume ?

TOWARDS A NEW DAWN

---- RESISTANCE CARACOL

---- ROAD TO THE FUTURE

---- GOOD GOVERNMENT COUNCIL

---- CHIAPAS, MÉXICO

---- JUNE 4, 2008

---- DENUNCIATION ACT OF PROVOCATION

---- From the Road to the Future Good Government Council (Junta de Buen Gobierno El Camino del Futuro)

---- To the people of Mexico and the world, to the comrades in the Other Campaign in Mexico and the world, to the national and international news media, to human rights defenders, to the honest non-governmental organizations

---- The Road to the Future Good Government Council makes the following denunciation:

1) A column was sighted consisting of a military convoy and public safety police, municipal police, and judicial agents at 9:00 in the morning southeastern time; there were 2 big trucks and 3 small trucks of soldiers, 2 public safety trucks, municipal police trucks, an anti-riot tank, and a truckload of judicial agents.

2) All in all there were around 200 provocateurs.

3) Before entering the town of Garrucha, the headquarters of the Caracol, about 30 meters from the edge of the town, 3 trucks from the convoy stopped and 4 soldiers got out of a truck as if to outflank the town of Garrucha by using the road to our collective cornfield. The people reacted and organized themselves to eject the convoy. The soldiers immediately got back in their truck and continued along the road. Those in front were intimidating the people, taking photos and filming them as they waited for the other provocateurs.

4) Arriving at the spot where the soldiers from Patiwitz were stationed, another military convoy joined the column, which continued on its way to engage in another provocation.

5) They arrived at Rancho Alegre, a community known as Chapuyil.

6) They got out of the trucks and headed for the town of Hermenegildo Galeana, where all the people are Zapatista support bases, accusing the townspeople of growing marijuana in their fields.

7) People throughout the Zapatista area of Garrucha, including the autonomous authorities, are witness to the fact that no such fields exist. The Zapatistas here work in their cornfields and banana plantations. They are willing to struggle for freedom, justice, and democracy and resist any provocation whatsoever.

8) Around 100 soldiers, 10 public security police, and 4 judicial agents headed for the town of Galeana. All the repressors painted their faces to confuse people and to avoid being recognized in the hill country. They walked for a while on the road and then went into the hills on their way to the town.

9) The federal column was guided by a person named Feliciano Román Ruiz, who is known to be from the Ocosingo municipal police.

10) The townspeople of Galeana ––men, women, girls, and boys–– organized themselves to eject the troops, come what may.

11) They met up with the troops in the middle of the road and the melee began. All the Zapatista women, men, boys, and girls told the soldiers in no uncertain terms, "Go back to where you came from, you aren't needed here. We want freedom, justice, and democracy ––not soldiers."

12) The soldiers said, "We came here because we know there's marijuana here and we're going on ahead come hell or high water." That's when the people took out their machetes, shovels, rocks, slingshots, ropes and whatever was at hand, and drove them back.

13) The soldiers said, "Well, this time we're not going any further, but we'll be back in two weeks and we're going in there come hell or high water."

14) They took another road down to the village of Zapatista support bases called San Alejandro where 9 vehicles with 40 soldiers and 10 policemen were waiting for them.

15) On their way down, they trampled the cornfield, which is the town's only food source.

16) In the Zapatista town of San Alejandro, the 60 repressive agents took up their positions, ready for a confrontation.

17) The people reacted and used everything at hand to drive back the federal forces.

18) Soldiers from Toniná, Patiwitz, and San Quintín participated in the confrontation.

19) People of Mexico and the world, we want to tell you that it won't be long before another confrontation occurs, provoked by Calderón and Juan Sabines and Carlos Leonel Solórzano, the municipal president of Ocosingo, who'll call out their dogs from all the forces of repression.We are not drug dealers. As you know, we are brothers and sisters of Mexico and the world. It's clear that they're coming for us Zapatistas. All three levels of the bad government are coming after us, and we're ready to resist them if that's what's necessary, just as our slogan says: We'll live for our homeland or die for freedom.

20) People of Mexico and the world, you know that our struggle is a peaceful, political one. As it says in the Sixth Declaration of the Lacandon Jungle, it's a peaceful, political struggle known as the Other Campaign. Just look where the violent provocation is coming from.

21) Comrades of the Other Campaign in Mexico and other countries, we ask you to be on the alert because the soldiers said they'll be back in two weeks. We don't want war. We want peace with justice and dignity. But we have no other choice than to defend ourselves, resist them, and eject them when they come looking for a confrontation with us in the towns of the Zapatista support bases.

22) All we can tell you is to look and see where the provocation is coming from. We're now informing you of what's going on, hopefully in time.

That's all we have to say

.RESPECTFULLY YOURS,

La Junta de Buen Gobierno

Elena Gordillo Clara Claribel Pérez López

Freddy Rodríguez López Rolando Ruiz Hernández

CHIAPAS:

ZAPATISTAS FACE DEATH THREATS, EVICTIONS, PARAMILITARIES AND ELITE TROOPS:

Some days ago the Zapatistas announced that they had to suspend part of their planned tour of Mexico because of events in their own Mexican state. Since then press releases carried on Chiapas Indymedia have made these matters plainer. The first event that they report is that death threats have been made against the 'Autonomous Authorities of San Andres Sakamchen de los Pobres', one of the independent Zapatista communities in Chiapas. This threat is believed to originate from paramilitaries in the hire of interests who object to some of the development projects initiated by the autonomous municipality. To read more about these events see http://chiapas.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=150196 .

The Zapatistas have also released details of the 'order of battle' of new Mexican Army units recently deployed in their territory in support of a government sponsored campaign of evictions of peasants settled on both recuperated and traditional lands in Chiapas. The Zapatista press release notes that "Troop quantity has been reduced to be replaced with 'quality' military forces, effecting the disbanding of conventional military units on indigenous territory and substituting them with high level elite special forces." . They also go on to note the communities threatened by the land seizures protected by these military forces, and they detail the numerous other abuses committed by the Mexican government in connection with this recent campaign. See the above link for details on this counterinsurgency campaign and the Zapatista response to it.

CHIAPAS:

REPRESSION INCREASES IN CHIAPAS:

ZAPATISTAS MODIFY PLANS FOR MEXICAN TOUR:

According to Chiapas Indymedia both the local state government and the federal Mexican government have begun to intensify their campaign against Zapatista communities:

"At this time, the state government of Chiapas and the federal government (of the PRD-PRI and the PAN respectively0 are waging a campaign against the Zapatista communities. "Official" evictions, paramilitary attacks, invasions sponsored by officials, persecutions and threats, have become once again part of the surroundings of the indigenous communities, the Zapatistas, who have set upon constructing their own destiny and improving their living conditions, always without losing their indigenous identity.

Just like in the worst times of the PRI, of Absalon Castellanos and "Croquetas" Albores Guillen, the PRD government of Chiapas is attacking the poor and needy, while catering to and benefiting the powerful. Just like any right wing government, that of Juan Sabinas in Chiapas continues the repression and dispossession, but now under a left-wing flag and with the double sponsorship of the two "presidencies" of our country, that of Felipe Calderon (of the PAN) and that of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (of the PRD, and, above all, of himself). "

The repression that they are now facing has led the Zapatistas to cancel the second phase of their planned 'Other Campaign' journey. They still plan to send a delegation to Encounter of the Indigenous Peoples of America from October 11th to 14th.

See HERE to read more about this decision and the reasons behind it.

CHIAPAS:

LATEST ZAPATISTA COMMUNIQUE:

FROM CHIAPAS INDYMEDIA:

NEW ZAPATISTA COMMUNIQUE: NEXT STAGE OF THE OTHER CAMPAIGN:

The following is taken from a recent press release on Chiapas Indymedia. The original is in Spanish, but for those of Molly's readers who can't read Spanish the Chiapas site has a translator built into it.

The text follows:

"Communique from the Indigenous Revolutionary Clandestine Committee-General Command of the Zapatista Army for National Liberation, Mexico:

September 16,2007

To the People of Mexico:

To the Adherents of the Sixth declaration and the Other Campaign:

Brothers and Sisters:

Companeros and Companeras:

On this new anniversary of the struggle for the first independence of Mexico (Molly Note: While the 5th of May is Mexico's National Day, September 16th is the day when Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla launched the Mexican War of Independence in 1810), the EZLN communicates the following:

About the Encounter of the Indigenous Peoples of America:

First: A delegation of the Zapatista leadership, composed of three commandantas, three commandantes and one subcommandante, will attend the Encounter of the Indigenous Peoples of America, to be held October 11,12,13 and 14 of 2007.

Second: This and other delegations of the Zapatista leadership will attend, when possible, the preparatory meetings for the encounter, to be held in the following places:

Oaxaca,Oaxaca, Mexico, October 4-5,2007.

San Pedro, Atapulco, Mexican State, October 6-7,2007.

Nurio, Purepecha Terrirory, Michoacan, Mexico, October 7-8,2007.

Rancho el Penasco, Territory of the Tohono Od'ham Nation, Magadalena de Kino, Sonoro, Mexico, October 8-9, 2007.

Third: We remind all of the adherents of the Sixth Declaration, both nationally and internationally, that you are invited to the Encounter and, if you plan to attend, to register on the webpage of the EZLN's Sixth Commission. We ask the same of those who have been invited by the Organizing Commission.

ABOUT THE SECOND PHASE OF THE OTHER CAMPAIGN IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ZONES OF MEXICO:

First: In order to carry out the work of the EZLN's Sixth Commission in this second phase in the central and southern zones of our country, a delegation of 24 commandantes and commandantas of the Zapatista leadership will leave from the city of San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, on the 26th of September, 2007 en route to Mexico City.

There the delegation will be organized into 8 groups which will visit adherants in the states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacan, Morelos, Guanajuato, Queretaro, Hidalgo, La Huasteca, Puebla, Tiaxcala, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Yucatan, Campeche, Mexico State and the Federal District. The visits will be held in the months of October, November and December of 2007 according to a detailed calender which will be released shortly.

Second: As you will recall, the objective of this second phase is to create an initial outline of a National Program of Struggle. For this reason the groups of the Sixth Commission of the EZLN will concentrate in particular on meetings with adherents of the distinct geographical points of the centre and south of our country.

Third: If, in the first phase, the objective was to get to know each other, and thus "this is what I am and here I am" were the most important words to be spoken, now the principal points are how we see the world and this country, and what are the demands (what do we want ?) that we have or that we have detected at national regional and local events.

Fourth: For this reason, we respectfully request of the different organizational entities of the Other in their states, regions, subregions and localities, that the organization of the visit of the Sixth Commission to their locales be focused exclusively on the meetings necessary to listen to the demands brought by adherents and sympathizers.

Fifth: With the goal of advancing the outline of the National Plan of struggle, a support team will accompany each delegation of the Sixth Commission and will be in charge of recording and keeping minutes of each meeting.

Sixth: We also respectfully request of adherents their support in providing food and lodging for the group and the support team that visits them, as well as help with the gasoline for the vehicles in which they will travel.

Seventh: As is public knowledge, our communities are currently suffering a new attack by the federal and state governments (by PANistas and PRDistas, respectively), for which reason it is possible we would have to cancel this trip and take other measures.

Liberty and Justice for Atenco !

Liberty and Justice for Oaxaca !

From the mountains of the Mexican Southeast,

Subcommandante Insurgente Marcos.

Mexico, September, 2007.

Molly want to remind her readers of the source of this statement, Chiapas Indymedia. In addition to translation from Spanish to English the site offers translation into other languages as well.

SOLIDARITY WITH OAXACA RADIO:
The University Radio in Oaxaca City, Mexico, Radio APPO, has been shut down by government forces for some time now. This radio station gave the people of Oaxaca who were struggling against the corrupt government a media voice to publicize their point of view. Since Nov. 25th there have been over 17 people killed, 140 injured, 190 openly arrested and 60 "disappeared" by the government forces. There is now a Canadian project called 'Radio Solidarity Oaxaca' that hopes to help the Mexican people in their efforts to rebuild a radio capacity in said Mexican State. The project is looking for both financial and technical assistance. Anyone interested can contact Don Kossick at kossickd@gmail.com . Cheques can be made out to and sent to the Progressive Organizing Project c/o 202 -111th St. West, Saskatoon, SK S7N 1T2, Canada. This project is sponsored by Making the Links Radio at http://www.makingthelinksradio.ca .
The struggle in Oaxaca has inspired solidarity actions worldwide in the past few months. To keep up to date with the continueing actions in support of the people of Oaxaca State see such sites as the Oaxaca Solidarity Alert List (http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/oaxaca ) and the Oaxaca Solidarity Network at http://www.oaxacasolidarity.org . For background information see various posts on the IRC America program at http://americas.irc-online.org .
Meanwhile the EZLN, the Zapatista National Liberation Army of Chiapas has issued an appeal for a worldwide day of solidarity with the people of Oaxaca on Dec. 22, 2006. To follow the progress of this call and to keep up to date on the Zapatistas see their official site at http://www.ezln.org.mx
Molly Note: Don Kossick mentioned above was the NDP candidate in the Saskatchewan riding of 'Blackstrap'.