To Whoever Is Still Willing to Listen
President André Manuel López Obador has deployed several thousand troops of the newly created National Guard to the state of Chiapas to deter Central American immigrants from entering Mexico from Guatemala and in that way to please U.S. President Donald J. Trump. There is fear that not only will the National Guard repress the Central Americans but that it will also be used against the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, its communities, and other indigenous peoples. The following statement, which we have translated here, has been issued by Mexican and international individuals and organizations. – Dan La Botz
This is a message of concern for life and for dignity. Those of us who are signing this letter are worried about what is happening once again in the forgotten corner of southeast Mexico that became transformed into hope and rebellion, Chiapas.
This is neither an ideological manifesto nor a declaration taking a position regarding the political changes that are taking place in Mexico. It is a message of genuine concern for what is felt to be developing down there after 25 years, after 500 years of resisting extermination and oblivion. We are worried about those who for a quarter of a century have fought for their autonomy, who have put their dignity above political pragmatism, and who have been an example of freedom in a world in world shackled by fear. We are worried about the Zapatistas.
We are concerned to learn about the growing military activity in the territories of the Zapatista communities. We see that in the midst of the complex security situation that Mexico is experiencing, the movement toward the militarization of the country is gaining speed. It is a warning sign that under the very questionable strategy regarding the National Guard, just as has occurred so many times before, there is a “security” force that doesn’t distinguish between crime and resistance, between cruelty and legitimate rebellion. It is contradictory that when the statistics of the Government of Mexico itself indicate that the Zapatiasta zone has among the lowest crime rates, the security strategy is directed in a threatening way to these zones that are some of the few sanctuaries of liberty and safety for the Mexico of the underdogs.
This appears to be a strategy of war rather than a strategy of security.
We who sign this letter are a diverse group of people, some of whom perceive the administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador with hope and others with skepticism, still we are all people who dream of a different and better world. Those of us who support this statement believe that change in Mexico cannot take place under the shadow of political pragmatism, giving into pressures that lead toward authoritarianism, exploitation, and violence on behalf of the 1%, nor can it change with the disqualification of critical voices that with their authenticity and consistency have won the respect of the world.
We see a growing process of hostility toward authentic, historic and legitimate projects of resistance that oppose the Maya Train, the Transisthmian Corridor, and the Integral Morelos Plan, among others. We are concerned to learn about the recent homicides of members of the National Indigenous Governing Congress. We are concerned with the possibility that this government, with its liberal and conservative predecessors, will once again marginalize the indigenous people on the verge of extermination.
The world is watching with its eyes and its heart what is happening in Mexico and in Chiapas.
Stop the war against the Zapatistas and the indigenous peoples of Mexico!
INTERNATIONAL SIGNATORIES
Noam Chomsky
Arundhati Roy
Boaventura de Souza Santos
Raúl Zibechi
Yvon Le Bot
Michael Hardt
Oscar Olivera
Hugo Blanco Galdós
Jasmin Hristov
Joe Foweraker
Eric Toussaint
Michael Löwy
Carlos Taibo
Pedro Brieger
Manuel Rozental
Mauricio Acosta
Vilma Almendra
Nicolás Falcoff
Guillermina Acosta
Iosu Perales
Philippe Corcuff (profesor de ciencia política, Lyon, Francia)
Enzo Traverso
(Susan and Barton Winokur Professor in the Humanities, Cornell University)
Mikel Noval (Eusko Langileen Alkartasuna-Solidaridad de los Trabajadores Vascos – ELA)
Manuel Gari Ramos (miembro de la Coordinadora Confederal de Anticapitalistas)
Francisco Louçã (Economista, miembro del Consejo de Estado, Portugal)
Leo Gabriel (Miembro del Consejo Internacional del Foro Social Mundial)
Pierre Galand (Senador honorario, ex-secrétario general de Oxfam Belgica)
Alberto Acosta (Ex-presidente de la Asamblea Constituyente, Ecuador)
Miguel Urbán (eurodiputado)
Raúl Camargo (ex diputado de la Asamblea de la Comunidad de Madrid)
José María González “Kichi” (Alcalde de la ciudad de Cádiz)
José Luis Cano (diputado del Parlamento de Andalucía)
Marco Bersani (porta voz de ATTAC ITALIA)
Tomas Astelarra (periodista, Argentina)
Derly Constanza Cuetia Dagua (Indígena Nasa, Pueblos en Camino)
Antonio Moscato (Universidad del Salento Lecce -Italia)
Jaime Pastor (editor de Viento Sur)
Aldo Zanchetta (periodista free lance Lucca -Italia)
Miren Odriozola Uzcudun (País Vasco)
Kepa Bilbao Ariztimuño (profesor)
Rogério Haesbaert (geógrafo y profesor universidades Federal Fluminense y de Buenos Aires)
Gilbert Achcar (Profesor en la SOAS, Universidad de Londres)
Antonio Moscato (Italia)
Virginia Vargas Valente (Perú)
Rommy Arce (ex concejala del Ayuntamiento de Madrid)
Josu Egireun (Redacción Viento Sur)
Mariana Sanchez (sindicalista, Francia)
Jorge Costa (diputado del Bloco de Esquerda en el parlamento de Portugal)
Franck Gaudichaud (Catedrático, Universidad Toulouse Jean Jaurés, Francia / Miembro del colectivo editorial de Rebelion.org)
Arturo Escobar (Prof de antropologia emerito, U de Carolina del Norte, Chapel Hill)
Olga Luisa Salanueva (Directora Maestría en Sociología Jurídica UNLP, Argentina)
José Murillo Mateos
Hilda Imas
Jorge Ignacio Smokvina
Hernan Parra Castro Presidente Comité Ejecutivo Nacional FENASIBANCOL
William Gaviria Ocampo Fiscal Comité Ejecutivo NACIONAL FENASIBANCOL
César Augusto Cárdenas Ávila Secretario General C.E.N. FENASIBANCOL Detlef R. Kehrmann Camille Chalmers (PAPDA – Haïti)
José Angel Quintero Weir (Organización Wainjirawa para la Educación Propia-Venezuela)
Vanda Ianowski (Docente Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Río Negro Argentina)
Maria Adele Cozzi – camminardomandando (Italia)
Luis Martínez Andrade (chercheur post-doctoral Collège d’études mondiales/Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’homme) Roberto Bugliani (Italia)
Juanca Giles Macedo (Perú)
Joxe iriarte “Bikila” (Escritor y militante de Alternativa y EHBILDU, Euskal Herria- estado Español)
MEXICAN SIGNATORIES
Juan Villoro
Ely Guerra
Oscar Chávez
Francisco Barrios “El Mastuerzo”
Márgara Millán
Juan Carlos Rulfo
Jean Robert
Javier Sicilia
Luis de Tavira
Gilberto López y Rivas
Jorge Alonso
Paulina Fernández Christlieb
Eduardo Matos Moctezuma
Isolda Osorio
Raúl Delgado Wise
Alicia Castellanos Guerrero
Sylvia Marcos
Carolina Coppel Mercedes Olivera (CESMECA-UNICACH)
Carlos López Beltrán
Magdalena Gómez
Rosalva Aída Hernández
Bárbara Zamora
Beatriz Aurora
Néstor Quiñones
Fernanda Navarro
Alejando Varas
Raúl Romero (Sociólogo, UNAM)
Marta De Cea
Servando Gajá
Rosa Albina Garavito Elías
Eduardo Almeida Acosta
Ma. Eugenia Sánchez Díaz de Rivera
Ana Lidya Flores Marín
John Holloway
Sergio Tischler
Fernando Matamoros
Gustavo Esteva
José Luis San Miguel
Lucía Linsalatta
Paulino Alvarado
Peter Joseph Winkel Ninteman
Isis Samaniego Mayra I Terrones Medina (Posgrado en Desarrollo Rural, Profesora investigadora, UAM Xochimilco)
Carolina Concepcion González González (profesora-investigadora de la Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur)
José Javier Contreras Vizcaino (Estudiante Doctorado en Sociología ICSyH-BUAP)
Mayleth Alejandra Zamora Echegollen (Estudiante Doctorado en Sociología ICSyH-BUAP)
MAYLETH ECHEGOLLEN GUZMÁN.- PROFRA-INVEST.- BUAP.
Rene Olvera Salinas (profesor de la UPN y UAQ ,Querétaro, México).
Rogelio Regalado Mujica (Instituto de Ciencias Jurídicas de Puebla)
Edgard Sánchez (miembro de la dirección del Partido Revolucionario de los Trabajadores)
Karla Sánchez Félix (filósofa)
Estefania Avalos Palacios (antropóloga)
Francisco Javier Gómez Carpinteiro
Ana María Verá Smith
Rodolfo Suáres Molnar (UAM- Cuajimalpa)
Álvaro J. Peláez Cedrés (UAM-Cuajimalpa)
Mara Muñoz Galván (Observatorio de Justicia y Derechos Humanos de Mujeres y Niñas)
Aline Zárate Santiago (Colectivo Liberación Ixtepecana)
Alejandra Ramìrez Gaytán (Desempleada y en ocupación alternativa)
Ita del Cielo (socióloga)
Gabriela Di Lauro
David Rodríguez Altamirano Byron
Eduardo Lechuga Arriaga
Carolina Martínez de la Peña
María del Pilar Muñoz Lozano
Juan Jerónimo Lemus
Cecilia Zeledón
Ana Laura Suárez Lima
Lilia García Torres
Iliana Vázquez López
Silvia Coca Katia Rodríguez
Pilar Salazar
Miguel López Girón
Rogelio Mascorro
Alexia Dosal
Edith González
Priscila Tercero
David Hernández
Roberto Giordano Longoni Martínez
Renata Carvajal Bretón
Beleguí Rasgado Malo
Mario Hernández Pedroza
Monserrat Rueda Becerril
Erika Sánchez Cruz Jannú
Ricardo Casanova Moreno
Marisol Delgado
Alejandro Gracida Rodríguez
Ariadna Flores Hernández
Tamara San Miguel
Eduardo Almeida Sánchez
ORGANIZACIONES
Red Europa Zapatista
Confederación General del Trabajo (Estado Español)
Union syndicale Solidaires, Francia
txiapasEKIN (Euskal Herria – País Vasco)
Centro de Documentación sobre Zapatismo (CEDOZ) (Estado Español)
Asamblea de Solidaridad con México (País Valencia, Estado Español)
Humanrights – Chiapas (Zurich, Suiza)
Comitato Chiapas “Maribel” (Bergamo, Italia)
Y Retiemble! Espacio de apoyo al Congreso Nacional Indígena desde Madrid (Estado Español)
Mutz vitz 13 (Marsella, Francia)
Associació solidaria Cafè Rebeldía-Infoespai (Barcelona-Catalunya)
Adherentes a la sexta (Barcelona, Catalunya)
Ya Basta! Moltitudia Roma” (Italia)
Cooperazione Rebelde (Napoli, Italia)
Espoir Chiapas – Esperanza Chiapas (Francia)
Manchester Zapatista Collective (Reino Unido)
ASSI (Acción Social Sindical Internacionalista)
Pueblos en Camino (Colombia)
La Insurgencia del Caracol (Argentina)
FM La Tribu (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Radio El grito (Córdoba, Argentina)
Red de Solidaridad con Chiapas de Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Federación Nacional de Sindicatos Bancarios Colombianos “FENASIBANCOL” (Colombia)
Red Contra la Represión y por la Solidaridad (México)
Unidad Obrera y Socialista – ¡UNÍOS! (México)
Unión de Vecinos y Damnificados “19 de septiembre” (México)
Editorial Redez (México)
Desarrollo y Aprendizaje Solidario (México)
Colectivo Detonacción Puebla (México)
Editorial En cortito que´s pa´largo (Querétaro, México).
Unitierra Puebla (México)
Universidad de la Tierra en Oaxaca (México)
Centro de Encuentros y Diálogos Interculturales (México)
Tianguis Alternativo de Puebla (México)
Comisión Takachiualis de Derechos Humanos (México)
Nodo de Derechos Humanos (México)