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ZAPATISTA SOLIDARITY ACTIONS SPREAD THROUGHOUT MEXICO
Guerrero Indians March 300 Kilometers on Mexico City
by Bill Weinberg
Cuernavaca, Morelos Feb.28 1994
Nearly 2000 indians arrived here today, having marched all the way
from Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero, the state to the south.
Organized by the "Consejo Guerrerense de 500 An~os de Resistencia", the
march is intended to express solidarity with the demands of the Zapatista
National Liberation Army (EZLN), now engaged in negotiations with the
government in the southern state of Chiapas. Cuernavaca is the march's
last stop before Mexico City, which is some 300 kilometers from Chilpancingo.
As the march approached Cuernavaca's center, local supporters closed off
the streets surrounding the city's central square, or "zocalo". Police did
not interfere as they blocked off the street's with their bodies and
handmade banners. One banner straddling the street read, "Chiapas 1994
-1968 Tlatelolco : Este Dialogo No Entendemos", flanked by images of tanks
and guns - "This Dialogue We Don't Understand", a reference to both the
recent repression in Chiapas and the Mexican Army's massacre of student
demonstrators 26 years ago.
Local supporters also blocked the streets with vehicles - some
bearing posters calling for peace in Chiapas, others bearing insignia of
the Party of Democratic Revolution (PRD), Mexico's left opposition party.
One pick-up truck spray painted "EZLN" proved upon closer examination to
be a police vehicle, apparently abandoned or hijacked for the cause! "Alto
A La Masacre!" reads one poster adorned with hte image of a dove on a
bayonet.
With the streets cleared of traffic, the march approaches the zocalo.
The banner at the front reads: "Marcha Por La Paz Y Dignidad De Los
Pueblos Idigenas - No Estan Solos". This last line - "They are not alone"
- is a reference to the Zapatistas in Chiapas. The banner is followed by
Mexican flags and giant portraits of Emiliano Zapata, the revolutionary
hero from whom the today's Zapatistas take their name.
"! Viva la Autonomia de los Pueblos Indigenos!" cry the marchers
in unison.
"! Viva!" return the local Cuernavaca supporters from the
jam-packed sidewalks.
"! Viva los Zapatistas!"
"! Viva!"
"! Viva Morelos!"; the local home state, which had been Zapata's
hot bed in the Mexican Revolution.
"! Viva!"
"! Viva Commandante Marcos!"; the charismatic EZLN leader.
"! Viva!"
Representing several indigenous communities in Guerrero, the march
is diverse. Women in traditional indian dress hold infants. Most of the
men wear straw hats - although one kid wears a Guns'n'Roses cap. Many of
the hats read " 500 An~os" or "EZLN" in black marker. A marching band
blasts away on old trumpets and tubas. One contigent wears ceremonial
indian masks and holds machetes at the shoulder.
The march files into the zocalo to eat food which has been prepared
by the local " Red Morelense por Derechos Humanos en Chiapas" - Morelian
Network for Human Rights in Chiapas. A crowd gathers before a stage which
has been erected at one end of the square. March leaders address the crowd
in Mixteco, Nahuatl, and other indigenous languages as well as Spanish.
Exhuberant burts erupt from the brass band between speakers. Communiques
from Zapatista Subcommandante Marcos are read from the stage - and are met
with especially exhuberant "! Vivas!". The banner above the stage reads "
Paz Con Justicia En Chiapas". One indigenous leader says he speaks on
behalf of the mountains, rivers, birds, and butterflies of Indian lands,
as well as the hopes and demands of the Indian people.
When the crowd thins out , the pavement of the zocalo is
spray-painted in black, "Viva EZLN". Guitars and rustic hand-made fiddles
emerge as the marchers and their supporters settle into the zocalo for a
"noch Zapatista" of traditional Guerrero Indian music and dance. As the
night wears on, marchers filter to the other end of the square, where
bivouacs have been erected, to catch some sleep. The makeshift tents are
themselves adorned with banners. One reads: "Reformulacion Del ART. 27 A
Favor De Los Campesinos". This is a reference to article 27 of the Mexican
Constitution, caling for agrarian reform, which was recently altered by
President Carlos Salinas to allow for privatization of "ejidos", or
communal lands. The marchers support the Zapatista demand that these
changes be repealed.
Meanwhile, Zapatista solidarity actions are reported every day in
"La Jornada", Mexico's leftist daily, from across the country.
- In Guerrero, 15 Mixtec Indians of the "Liga Agraria
Revolucionaria del Sur-Emiliana Zapata (LARSEZ), are staging a hunger
strike at the local offices of the federal government's National Indian
Institute (INI), in Tototepec.
- In Michoacan, sugar workers angered by the closing of a local
mill, have publicly offered to join the Zapatista insurgency.
- In Oaxaca, several Indians from the community of Temascal were
hurt when a demonstration at the federal agrarian reform office, organized
by the " Frente Independiente de Pueblos Indigenas (FIPI), was attacked by
the police.
- In Yucatan, students calling themselves " Zapatistas" protested
at a campaign stop by Donaldo Colosio, the ruling party's presidential
candidate. In Guerrero, " El Consejo de Pueblos Nahuas, an Indian
organization, has also derclared Colosio "persona non grata".
- In Hidalgo, death threats and army harassment are reported
against the "Frente Democratico Oriental-Emiliano Zapata (FEDOMEZ), after
the group demonstrated in support of the Zapatistas.
Oaxaca's largest Indian and peasent group, the "Consejo de Obreros,
Campesinos y Estudiantes del Istmo (COCEI) also issued a statement in
support of the Zapatista demands at a January 13 meeting in Juchitan.
- In Mexico City, the urban based "Union Popular Revolucionaria-
Emiliano Zapata" (UPREZ) held a ceremony at the zocalo in support of the
Zapatista demands.
- In Puebla, local indigenous communities staged blockades of the
highway into the city of Tehuacan.
- In Tamaulipas, Veracruz and Tabasco, dissident oil workers who have
broken with the government-controlled trade union bureaucracy have staged
strikes, blockades and demonstrations at plants of the state petrochemical
monopoly PEMEX.
- And in Chiapas, unarmed Indians are staging land occupations on
big ranches throughout the Maya Highlands.
A nationwide mobilization in support of the Zapatista demands is planned
for Mexico city on April 10, the 77th aniversary of Emiliano Zapata's
death at the hands of the forces which went on to establish Mexico's long
ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). A massive turnout is
anticipated.
Communique from the Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee
- General Command of the Eje'rcito Zapatista de Liberacio'n
Nacional (CCRI-CG of the EZLN)
Mexico
June 10, 1994
To the people of Mexico:
To the peoples and governments of the world:
To the different non-governmental organizations:
To the Negotiator for Peace and Reconciliation in Chiapas:
To the national and international press:
The Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee-General
Command of the Eje'rcito Zapatista de Liberacio'n Nacional
addresses itself to you in order to report and declare the
following:
First: The CCRI-CG of the EZLN, as we have recently reported, has
finished its consultations in all of the communities that make up
and support the EZLN. By means of official reports from assemblies
in the ejidos and communities, we have learned the opinions that
are in our people's hearts.
Second: The CCRI-CG of the EZLN has now counted the votes
concerning the peace accord proposals presented to the EZLN by the
Federal government during the dialogue that took place in San
Cristo'bal de las Casas, Chiapas.
Third: The result of the free and democratic voting in the
assemblies is as follows:
In favor of signing the government's peace accord proposals - 2.11
percent of the total
Against signing the government's peace accord proposals - 97.88
percent of the total
Fourth: The result of the voting about what actions we should take
in case it was decided not to sign the government's peace accords
is as follows:
In favor of renewing the hostilities - 3.26 percent of the total
In favor of continued resistance and the convening of a new
national dialogue to be attended by all of the independent and
honest forces in the country - 96.74 percent of the total
Fifth: Therefore, in accordance with the majority of the
Zapatistas, the CCRI-CG of the EZLN wishes to inform you that:
It rejects the peace accord proposals presented by the Federal
government.
It considers the Dialogue of San Cristo'bal to have ended.
It calls on the Mexican people to attend a new national dialogue to
be attended by all of the progressive forces in the country. The
central themes of this dialogue will be democracy, freedom and
justice for all Mexicans.
In order not to impede the search for a political solution to the
conflict and so as to not interfere in the electoral process that
will take place this coming August, the CCRI-CG of the EZLN orders
its regular and irregular forces in national territory and outside
of Mexico to respect a unilateral offensive cease-fire.
The EZLN guarantees that it will take no offensive military action
against the Federal army.
The EZLN will not interfere with the upcoming elections in the
territories under its control. It will permit the installation of
electoral polls in these territories under the supervision of the
different non-governmental organizations and the International Red
Cross.
The EZLN will accept absolutely no aid from the municipal, state or
Federal governments. It will resist the military siege by its owns
means and with the help of the Mexican people.
Sixth: The CCRI-CG of the EZLN thanks the Negotiator for Peace and
Reconciliation in Chiapas, Manuel Camacho Solis, for his true
efforts in search of a political solution to the conflict.
Unfortunately, the historic blindness of the supreme government
kept it from seeing that its unwillingness to give in to the
democratic impulse will bring about painful conflicts and unforseen
consequences.
Seventh: The CCRI-CG of the EZLN thanks the National Mediator,
Bishop Samuel Rui'z Garcia and his working group for their efforts
and sacrifices in attempting to mediate between the parties
involved in the conflict, their integrity in withstanding pressures
and threats and their willingness to listen. We hope that in the
new dialogue that we are calling for today we can count on his
honest participation in search of political solutions to the
national demands for democracy, freedom and justice.
Eighth: The CCRI-CG of the EZLN thanks the honest and independent
media for its commitment to the truth and for having presented the
truth to the Mexican people despite threats, pressure and
blackmail. We would like to publically apologize if we have doubted
your profession at any point with our clumsy media policy. We hope
that you understand that this is the first time that we have tried
to carry out a revolution, and we are still learning. We would like
to reiterate that, thanks to the efforts of the press, it was
possible to stop the military phase of the war. We sincerely hope
that you understand the difficult conditions we find ourselves in
and our unfair selection of media that we allowed to approach us.
We hope that you continue publishing the truth.
Ninth: The CCRI-CG of the EZLN especially thanks the different non-
governmental organizations, the vanguard of civil society. The
NGO's have carried out a selfless work in order to bring about a
peace with justice and dignity for our people. The government's
siege keeps us, for the moment, from arriving at some pact with
these organizations. We are still open to dialogue and are willing
to continue down the path that the NGO's have pointed out to us
with their commitment: a political route in the transition to
democracy.
Tenth: The CCRI-CG of the EZLN thanks all those men, women and
children, people without faces, throughout the country and outside
of Mexico who have given us their solidarity and who have joined
our just cause. Our struggle and death is for you, brothers. We
will not take off our masks until every Mexican - the indigenous
peoples, peasants, workers, students, teachers, housewives,
squatters, artists, intellectuals, retirees, the unemployed - men
and women without voices or faces, have everything they need for a
dignified and true life. Everything for everyone, nothing for
ourselves.
While the national flag waves without democracy, freedom and
justice above Mexican soil, we, our tender fury, will continue
fighting.
Democracy!
Freedom!
Justice!
Respectfully,
Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee-General Command of
the Eje'rcito Zapatista de Liberacio'n Nacional
>From the mountains of southeastern Mexico