There has been remarkably little information flowing through native-l and
nachat about the current situation in Chiapas. Once again the Mexican
government has dispatched the military against the indigenous people in
that State. Moreover, it is, at the same time, attacking a wide range of
grassroots activists and human rights activists as "Zapatistas" or
"Zapatista sympathizers" --churches have been broken into and searched
"for arms", activists have been thrown in jail on trumped up charges.
There are growing reports of human rights violations, disappearances,
murders etc.
Last year when this happened there was a world wide wave of response that
forced the Mexican state to back off. That same response is now being
mobilized again. Already there have been demonstrations all over North
America and others in Europe and giant marches (100-200,000) in Mexico
City.
Another aspect of the response which was of vital importance last year
was the sending of delegations of observers. This time there is some of
that, but apparently no where near as many groups are participating.
Pastors for Peace is one.
I have been looking for a reoccurance of the kind of mobilization which
occurred last year in Native American communities. I have so far seen no
reports of such activity on the nets.
If there are specifically Native American actions being organized,
especially delegations to Chiapas, please post news of this on native-l
and on chiapas-l. You can post to chiapas-l by sending a message to:
chiapas-l@profmexis.dgsca.unam.mx
Last year the response of Native American groups from all over the
hemisphere played a vital role in stopping the killing. It can do so
again.
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Harry Cleaver
Department of Economics
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas 78712-1173
USA
Phone Numbers: (hm) (512) 442-5036
(off) (512) 471-3211
Fax: (512) 471-3510
E-mail: hmcleave@mundo.eco.utexas.edu
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