Call of Alert for Chiapas -- LIFEBOAT

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Date Posted: 17:33:15 11/30/00 Thu
Author: SwimmingUpstream
Subject: Call of Alert for Chiapas

I received the following e-mail from an acquaitance in Germany.

Call of Alert for Chiapas

Here goes a big call for help to everybody who knows about my involvement in the
international solidarity struggle for the Zapatistas in Chiapas, Mexico. Things
are about to change very dramatically. Distrustful as we have been from the very
beginning towards the administration of the new president elect Vicente Fox, we
have now been presented the reason for our distrust. An internal document
designing a planned step to step strategy for the elimination of the Zapatistas
has been recently made available and published by La Jornada, one of Mexico�s
major and most trustworthy daily newspapers. The first steps of this strategy we
could already watch being transformed into reality and applied in the recent few
weeks, eventually mounting into the joint public efforts of the president-elect
and the old and new administration to create a law of general amnesty and
impunity for all paramilitary death-squads who, supported and supplied by the
Mexican and U.S. military, have been responsible for the most atrocious
massacres and acts of terror of the last six years. The last few days have seen
an alarming mobilization of paramiltary groups and an avalanche of calls for
help from civil indigenous communities under the threat of imminent paramilitary
attacks, which the authorities try to dismiss. Using the pretext of a staged
anti-paramilitary action - as it comes out now an operation already arranged
with the paramilitary leaders weeks in advance - hundreds of police agents have
entered suspiciously many zapatista communities instead. We don�t know what is
going to happen.

On the 1st of December, the new administration of Vicente Fox will come into
power. On this occasion, a call for international solidarity actions, in active
form or in form of letters, has been issued. This is a compilation of the three
main united calls to action. The first two regard a call issued from the
Amanecer Zapatista Unidos en la Lucha from New York, which will be followed
internationaly in many countries of the world, including by us here in Germany.
The second of both includes a list of actions that will be carried out in
several places in the United States. If you live in these areas or have friends
there, please, please, please help spreading the word. The second one is a
response to this call, from a group located in San Francisco - same thing. If
you live in an area where no actions have been announced, maybe you would like
to start one yourself... don�t worry if you�re unexperienced - remember :
amateurs built Noah�s Ark, professionals built the Titanic!

If you have ANY possibility to make these calls available to a greater audience,
if there are any netforums you�re frequenting - political, Xenite, Pokemon or
whatever - if you have friends who might be interested, if you know of groups
who might feel adressed, church communities, students and school organizations,
please help us spread the word. A very nasty press campaign seeking to isolate
the indigenous Zapatistas from the rest of the world and cutting of the civil
support for Chiapas is going on. Six years of terror have left deep marks on the
besiedged population of Chiapas. Official lies and slanders are spread to cause
demoralization and mistrust.

If you are looking for more information about the present situation you can also
mail me directly.

Love and Hugs,

Aeron / Thrassa / Dana

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Here come the calls to action.

1) From Amanecer Zapatista Unidos en la Lucha:

From: "azul nueva york" ny_azul@hotmail.com

URGENT CALL TO ACTION

Demand that Vicente Fox End the War in Chiapas
Friday, December 1, 2000

To National and International Civil Society
To Human Rights Organizations
To Grass Roots Organizations
To the Men and Women of New York

President-Elect of Mexico, Vicente Fox, proclaimed that he could resolve the war
in Chiapas in fifteen minutes. We, the men and women of Amanecer Zapatista
Unidos en la Lucha (AZUL), reject a quick-fix solution to a centuries old
problem of injustice and violence against the indigenous communities of Chiapas!
We, as Mexicanos, immigrants, students, and workers, call to action our
community in New York and communities in solidarity across the country and the
world to demand an end to the violence in Chiapas on the first day Fox takes
office on December 1!!!.

President-elect of Mexico, Vicente Fox, has promised to quickly restart peace
talks with the zapatistas and "negotiate" implementation of the San Andres
accords after he takes office. Before that important step can take place, Fox
must first move quickly to dismantle the immediate danger that is at the center
of the conflict in Chiapas: the growing military and paramilitary presence in
communities throughout indigenous regions, and, the rapidly increasing
displacement of hundreds of families fleeing from the violence of army
occupation and paramilitary attacks.

Across Chiapas, impoverished and isolated indigenous communities remain
surrounded by an estimated 70,000 soldiers and by hundreds of additional
paramilitary forces who harass and violate struggling families every single day
in all indigenous regions. The daily reality is this: people are dying by direct
military or paramilitary attacks and because of the inaccessibility of basic
needs. More than 20,000 people have been displaced in the last few years due to
the on-going low-intensity war being waged by the government of Mexico, a
low-intensity war with long-term, high-intensity repercussions.

We the men and women of AZUL extend an invitation to all zapatista organizers
and supporters to come together at Mexican consulates throughout the U.S. and
the world on Friday, December 1, 2000 to keep Fox to his promise and demand in
one voice:

- The immediate withdrawal of the more than 70,000 Mexican soldiers surrounding
indigenous regions in Chiapas

- The immediate dismantlement of paramilitary groups
- The release of all detained indigenous leaders
- The immediate relocation of the more than 20,000 displaced indigenous men,
women, and children of Chiapas
- The final implementation of the San Andres Accords.
- The agreement to all EZLN demands and conditions to enable a return to
dialogue with the government

Join us in this open challenge to Mr. Fox because although it will take more
than 15 minutes to bring real justice to Chiapas, it takes less than 15 minutes
to decide to take action and demand the rights of the indigenous peoples of
Mexico, and less then fifteen seconds to pull on a mask, pick up a sign and yell
YA BASTA!!

If your community is organizing a local action, please let us know.

Contact us at ny_azul@hotmail.com.

Demand that Vicente Fox End the War in Chiapas Friday, December 1, 2000 at 5:30
p.m.
Consul General of Mexico
27 East 39th Street
New York

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

2) From Amanecer Zapatista Unidos en la Lucha:

November 21, 2000

URGENT ACTION ANNOUNCEMENT
INTERNATIONAL CIVIL SOCIETY DEMANDS FOX END THE WAR IN CHIAPAS

To National and International Civil Society
To Human Rights Organizations
To Grass Roots Organizations
To the Men and Women of New York

Amanecer Zapatista Unidos en la Lucha (AZUL) sends thanks to all the men and
women who wrote to us in support of the call to action for the day of Friday,
December 1, 2000. On that day, as Vicente Fox takes office as President of
Mexico, we will demand together that Mr. Fox's first business be the end to the
increasing violence in Chiapas!!

We received responses from Chiapas, Veracruz, Mexico, Queretaro, Mexico,
Germany, Montreal, Canada, and Barcelona, Spain. The call reached The Nlaka'Pamx
and Sauteaux Nations Natives of Vancouver, Canada and found its way to the
"Expreso" a local newspaper from Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas which covered its
announcement soon after it was posted. The men and women organizing in San
Lazaro, Mexico informed us of the protest they had been planning for the morning
of December 1st in front of the palacio legislativo de San Lazaro called "Contra
la Mentira, 'Democratica' de Fox, Para un Mexico Libre, Justo y Democratico!"
And organizations in Chiapas also had been planning local and state-wide
December 1st actions to coincide with Fox's first day in office. We have
included below more detailed information about some of the other actions and
events taking place on December 1.

We also wanted to say that we are sending this message of thanks a few days
after the anniversary of the birth of the EZLN, a birth that has been reborn in
men and women all over the world, despite
the death that increases in the land of Chiapas even as we write this message to
you. In a few weeks we will pay respects to 45 such deaths (Acteal massacre of
1996). It is to remember these men, women, and children and the many others we
cannot count we demand not only that Mr. Fox follow his own widely publicized,
and far travelled promises of a resolution in Chiapas, but that he end the
Mexican government's "secret" war immediately. On December 1, we will yell our
demands for his action, not only for his words, to echo those voices who can no
longer yell. We speak for their stolen lives and the stolen lives of today and
tomorrow:

- Withdraw the tens of thousands of soldiers surrounding indigenous regions in
Chiapas!!
- Dismantle paramilitary groups!!!
- Release all detained indigenous leaders!!!
- Relocate the more than 20,000 displaced indigenous families of Chiapas!!!
- Implement the San Andres Accords!!!!
- Agree to all EZLN demands and conditions to enable a return to a dialogue with
the government!!!!

Friday, December 1st Actions & Events:

*AUSTIN, TEXASAustin,

National Zapatista Student Alliance, Zapatisa Council, MECHA,
Radical Action Network & others
Protest at the University of Texas in Austin
followed by a rally @ Mexican Consulate

*SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA:

Zapatisa Solidarity Coalition
Protest & Vigil @ Mexican Consulate
8th & J Streets
11:30 AM to 1:30 PM

*SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA:

La Raza Centro Legal, Global Exchange, S.F. Zapatista Committee, Day
Labor Program, INS Watch & others
Noon Protest @ Mexican Consulate
Flood Building @ Market & Powell

*SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA:

Schools for Chiapas
Film Festival Against Neoliberalism
Presenting "Zapatista" and "This is What Democracy Looks Like"
December 1-3

*DENVER, COLORADO:

Chiapas Coalition
Demonstration @ Mexican Consulate
48 Steele Street
Noon

*NEW YORK, NEW YORK:
Amanecer Zapatista Unidos en la Lucha (AZUL)
Demand that Vicente Fox End the War in Chiapas!
Protest at the Mexican Consulate
27 East 39th Street
5:30 PM

We are still very interested to know the details about any other actions being
planned for December 1, 2000. Please contact AZUL at ny_azul@hotmail.com if
you're planning an action or event.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

3) San Francisco Call to Action

A call to action

On December 1, Vicente Fox will be inaugurated as the new President of Mexico.
On this date Bay Area human rights activists will congregate in front of the
Mexican Consulate in San Francisco to present demands to Mexico's new President
to end the violence against the indigenous communities of Chiapas. We join
Mexico City, New York, Austin, Sacramento, San Diego and cities all over the
world to hold Fox accountable for ensuring a peaceful resolution of the conflict
in Chiapas.

International Day of Protest for Chiapas Demonstration and Presentation of
Demands To the Mexican Consul
Friday, December 1, 2000, 12 noon
Mexican Consulate 870 Market Street, San Francisco (near the Powell Street BART
Station)

To ensure a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Chiapas, we call upon
President Fox to:
-- Immediately withdraw the more than 70,000 Mexican soldiers from indigenous
communities in Chiapas;
-- Immediately dismantle paramilitary groups;
-- Release all detained indigenous leaders;
-- Immediately relocate the more than 20,000 displaced indigenous;
-- Implement the San Andres Accords;

Sponsored by: La Raza Centro Legal, Global Exchange, S.F. Zapatista Committee,
Day Labor Program, INS Watch, Art and Revolution, Chiapas Support Committee,
Comite Emiliano Zapata, Colectivo de Apoyo Latinoamericano, Mexico Solidarity
Network, CISPES, (partial list)

For information contact: Anamaria Loya, La Raza Centro Legal (415) 553-3429;
Craig Adair, Global Exchange (415) 255-7296; Carolina Dutton, S.F. Zapatista
Committee (415) 647-8126; Nancy Charraga, Casa Bonampak (415) 642-4079

December is Chiapas month. Other events planned for December are:

Commemoration for the 45 Mayan Indians massacred in Acteal on December 22, 1997:
Friday Dec. 22, 12 noon in front of the Mexican Consulate in San Francisco.
The victims of the massacre, "Las Abejas", a pacifist organization of refugees
displaced by the war, are currently participating in a pilgrimage from Chiapas
to Mexico City, expecting to arrive on Dec. 22 to demand a resolution to the
conditions which lead up to the massacre by paramilitaries.

New Years party to benefit Las Abejas de Acteal:
Saturday, Dec. 30, 8 PM, S.F.Women1s Building, 18th Street at Valencia.
******** Comite Emiliano Zapata PO BOx 70001 Oakland, CA 94601 Somos un pueblo
cosmico. Somos un pueblo sin fronteras.

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