At 5pm on May 5th a group of Sydneysiders gathered yesterday in front of Australian icons the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge to send a message of solidarity to the Other Campaign in Mexico and around the world, to the hundreds who were arrested, deported, tortured and raped in San Salvador Atenco on the 3rd and 4th of May 2006 and to our comrades who remain imprisoned under bogus charges which further demonstrate the injustice and impunity that the Mexican Government so flagrantly shows the whole world.

In particular, today we demand justice for the 47 women who were detained and subject to horrendous sexual torture. Sexual abuse and assault is also a daily reality for many people in our communities and is perpetrated by those we are told to trust and often the state. We will not tolerate the continued silence of the Mexican government on this issue, just as we refuse to tolerate it here in Australia.

 The Sydney Opera House comes under the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority’s jurisdiction; this is a special police unit which outlaws any protest in the area, assembling in a group, taking photos with political slogans and so on. Outrageous!

We support the demands for justice made by our comrades on the 29th of April at the Special Department for Violent Crimes against women, in Mexico City. We wish to send our encouragement to those deported that continue to fight for justice in solidarity with Atenco, to all of those who support the protest camp at the Prison Molino de las Flores and all of our most humble respect to our comrades from Atenco and the Popular Front in Defence of the Earth (FPDT).

Justice now! Freedom for all Political Prisoners!

In solidarity,
Mexico-Australia Solidarity Network (MASN) Sydney