New Repression in Oaxaca: Violent Repression of the Peoples Guelaguetza Festival
Written by intergalactica
Thursday, 19 July 2007
MANIFESTO OF THE FIRST ANARKOGALACTIC ENCOUNTER IN THE FACE OF THE NEW WAVE OF REPRESSION IN OAXACA
Today, July 16, 2007, at approximately 10 a.m., there was harsh repression of the march held in the city of Oaxaca to inaugurate the popular Guelaguetza, and to boycott the official Guelaguetza promoted by the Ulises Ruiz government and different transnational businesses with neoliberal, antipopular politics. This march had been called by numerous organizations, collectives, and individuals of the people of Oaxaca.
From the beginning, the march was under surveillance by the police, who tried to intimidate the people and made several arrests. During the course of the march, there were confrontations when the police began to throw rocks and shoot teargas, resulting in the dispersion of the contingent. The police took advantage of the situation, surrounding, beating, and violently arresting approximately 60 comrades. As of this moment we do not know what their situation is, but it is highly probable that people have been seriously injured, arrested, disappeared, and tortured.
As of now, we know that 40 0f the comrades arrested have been presented at the Attorney General's Office in the state of Oaxaca. Four of them are seriously wounded, especially one comrade. Emeterio Merino Cruz Vazquez, who was hospitalized after being hit with a teargas cannister. We fear for the comrade's life because information about his state of health is confusing. In addition to the fact that the city is under a state of seige and information is being blocked, there have been several reports of the comrade's death.
Among those arrested are Silvia Gabriela Hernandez Salinas, a university student in Social Sciences at the Benito Juarez University of Oaxaca was arrested. Silvia is being held at the Tlacolula Prison and is being tortured and harassed constantly due to her participation in the organization Oaxacan Voices Constructing Autonomy and Freedom (VOCAL).
In the cases of all the people arrested, torture and sexual abuse have been reported. The list of those arrested that we now have can be found at http://oaxacalibre.org
This entire repressive situation is ocurring at a time when the popular movement of Oaxaca is once again gaining ground in the social struggle. The repression is an escalation in the increased militarization that different organized struggles are experiencing in the country as a whole.
The second Anarkogalactic encounter that is now taking place in the city of San Cristóbal de las Casas, attended by both national and international comrades, extends our solidarity as we strive to integrate our work and organizational proposals for solidifying the anarchist movement so that our solidarity can be translated into concrete actions that come from a comprehensive critical analysis of the current situation.
All the organizations, collectives, and individuals manifest our repudiation and rejection of the supposed security policy of the government fostered by the military dictatorship of the PAN now headed by Calderon in conjunction with the PRI and PRD, which is being developed throughout the country. This policy is becoming harsher all the time and is seen in its most brutal, inhuman form in the state of Oaxaca.
As an anarchist movement, we will never stop struggling against the criminal policies of the state aimed at terrorizing the society by jailing, repressing, killing, and doing away with all the spaces that have been effective in creating the self-organization and self- determination of the society.
We stand in solidarity with the people of Oaxaca and demand the immediate presentation of all disappeared people and the freedom of all political prisoners kidnapped by the government, whose only crime has been to struggle for a real transformation in the lives of a rebellious people full of dignity.
We call on the anarchist movement, the Other Campaign, the society as a whole, and the international community to mobilize on July 18, carrying out different actions to express our solidarity and denounce the repression, and also to continue the mobilization on July 19 with disruptive actions against the repression and to participate in the Forum against Repression to stop this blatant low-intensity warfare that we have been subjected to for years.
STOP THE MILITARIZATION
FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS
PRESENT ALL DISAPPEARED PRISONERS ALIVE
DO AWAY WITH ALL STATE POWERS
PFP OUT OF OAXACA
DISSOLUTION OF ALL REPRESSIVE BODIES
Participants in the encounter include 120 comrades from:
MEXICO:
Hidalgo, Veracruz, Texcoco, Durango, Tijuana, Monterrey, San Luís Potosí, Baja California Norte, San Cristóbal de las Casas, DF, Querétaro.
NORTH AMERICA:
San Diego, Pórtland Oregon, Phoenix, Arizona, Indiana, San Francisco, Montreal Canadá.
LATIN AMERICA:
Brasil, Argentina, Venezuela.
EUROPE:
England, Spain, Catalonia, Italy, France, Germany, Belgium (from various cities)
OCEANIA:
Nueva Zelanda, Australia.
COLLECTIVES AND ORGANIZATIONS:
Moiliirasalii, Radio Ocupa – Ari Caravana,, Roadblokef, Bandera Negra, Inkworks Press, Bay Area Indymedia, Célula Metropolitana Julio Chávez López, Colectivo O.R.G.A.N.I.C, Adherentes a la Otra Campaña, Bloquear a
l Imperio, Catas, Red Ya Basta, Coordinadora Anarcopunk, Centro Social Libertario-Biblioteca “Viviendo la Utopía”, Regeneración Radio, Casa de la Paz, Quinta Brigada, Radio Sabotaje, Brigada Libertaria, Smashedo, La Brigada Sociedad Civil, El Palicate zona norte del DF, Karakola Global, No Fronteras SF, Centro de Medios Libres DF, Plantón de Santiaguito, Plantón de Molino de las Flores, Colectivo Conciencia, Pensares y Sentires, HIJOS de la Plata, CZI, and many more.
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