Beginning of blockade and closure of the Marquelia and Pinotepa bridge highways indefinitely, as part of the actions to demand JUSTICE, A STOP TO THE DEATH AND WAR AGAINST THE PEOPLES OF GUERRERO.
THE ZAPATISTA ARMY OF NATIONAL LIBERATION
THE INDIGENOUS COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENT
THE NATIONAL INDIGENOUS CONGRESS
THE NATIONAL NETWORK AGAINST REPRESSION
THE NETWORKS OF REBELLION AND RESISTANCE
THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SEXTA
TO THE SIGNATORIES OF THE DECLARATION FOR LIFE
TO THE POPULAR MOVEMENT OF GUERRERO
TO THE MEDIA
November 28, 2023.
Brothers and sisters of the peoples of Guerrero, today November 27, the Afro, mestizo, Ñú Savii, Me’phaa, Nahua, Ñomdaa peoples and communities, we mobilize in this place, because we see that our lives are looked down upon by the bad governments, that death runs through the state of Guerrero and that there is no authority that cares about this scenario of violence that is lived. We mobilize because only popular organization can rebuild peace and justice in our territories.
We maintain firm the historical demands for justice, equality, freedom, peace, security, food, education, health, democracy. And we say that we maintain these demands, because the State has been incapable of resolving a single one of these demands. But we are not surprised, on the contrary, it reaffirms what we already know, that the State works for the bankers, for the businessmen, for organized crime, but never for the people. That is why we think that it is only with unity and organization that we can resolve these demands among the peoples.
And this is not something new, compañeros and compañeras, you know well that we had to promote justice ourselves, building the Community Justice System from the peoples, from the assemblies, from our practice of another democracy, not that of the bad governments, which say that democracy is voting for the candidate we want to govern us, but from the democracy where the peoples really participate, dialogue, listen to each other, build collective agreements and give themselves the political organization they want.
But we have also had to resort to the medicine of our ancestors, to the traditional medicine, because the bad government despises us and denies us dignified health for the people, and then we see that in the communities there are no hospitals and if there are, they do not have medical equipment, no doctors, no medicines, nothing. So we see that hospitals are necessary, but since they do not exist, we the people have had to organize ourselves to heal ourselves.
We have also promoted educational and communication projects that have been born in our villages and many other things. This is how we are strengthening the idea that we do not need bad governments, but that we need ourselves, the knowledge and experience of our grandfathers and grandmothers, the strength of our men and women, as well as the hope of the thousands of children for whom we must build a future, a dignified future, another world in which they are not killed by criminal groups, but also not treated with the contempt that bad governments treat us when all they want to give us are the crumbs that fall from their table.
Our struggle as indigenous peoples goes back more than 533 years, which have been a period of resistance; we as native peoples have historically been exploited, forgotten, marginalized, discriminated against. Since the arrival of the Spaniards, we have lived through the attempt of extermination, but we have resisted, with compañeros and compañeras who were not afraid of the oppressor, but who put all their efforts in the construction of a better country, like those insurgents who fought against the oppressor Spaniards or like the peoples who fought against the invaders, French or American, it didn’t matter, they were invaders and we had to fight against them, not for the defense of a president or what the upper classes call homeland, but they only refer to their properties, not comrades, we had to fight for the defense of the land and the territory, for the defense of the people, for the defense of life.
We do not want to fail to mention the millions of human beings, indigenous, peasants who gave their lives so that the word life, liberty, justice, democracy, struggle, rebellion, could be named, because if it were not for their struggle, those words would have already been erased from our memory; today thanks to all of them, we can dream that from our struggle, a better world for all will be born. We do not forget Ricardo Flores Magón, Emiliano Zapata or Rubén Jaramillo; nor the Dirty War waged by the Federal Government against the social movements and against our brothers Genaro Vázquez Rojas and Lucio Cabaña Barrientos. His struggle for social justice, for improving the living conditions of the people, we will not forget. Their legacy keeps alive the resistance and the possibility of building a new world. We also do not forget Cirino Placido, a brother who understood very clearly that the struggle of the peoples of Guerrero was the struggle of the peoples of Mexico, which is why he walked with the National Indigenous Congress and the Zapatista Army of National Liberation.
In this sense, we will never fail to mention our brothers and sisters of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, an organization that has been a light for the world, when it seemed that capitalism was imposed and humanity had to resign itself to live under that economic model and the patriarchal system; it was thanks to their dignified resistance, that the rights of indigenous peoples were put on the table in the agendas of Mexico and the whole world. We celebrate the 40 years of their birth, the 30 years of their coming to public light, as well as all their organizational efforts, such as the Zapatista Caracoles founded 20 years ago, which are an example for all peoples, not only of Mexico, but of the world who struggle for a world in which we can exist free, with freedom, justice, democracy and in autonomy ¡VIVAN LOS 40, 30, 20 years of the EZLN!
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But the road has not been easy for anyone who dares to confront the system that imposes death in the world; We the people of Guerrero know this, because just as throughout our history we have had to confront invaders, caciques, rulers, foreigners, who seek to dispossess us of our territories, our culture and identity, today we are besieged by the government and also by narco-paramilitary groups like the Ardillos and the Russians, who murder, disappear journalists, teachers, merchants, doctors, young people, peasant students, all with the complicity of the State. We are fighting against these forces and this has not led us to lose our lives, they assassinate us, they disappear us. But should we be afraid, should voting for the PRI, PRD or Morena, has stopped the violence or brought us a real change and not just the crumbs they receive with social programs? No comrades! We are in a state of ungovernability, headed today by the bad government self-styled as the Fourth Transformation, which allows all violations of human rights and the rights of indigenous peoples. They do not respect their obligation to which they committed themselves by signing and ratifying International Treaties, as an example Convention 169 International Labor Organization (ILO), which states that the ” … indigenous peoples and shall fully enjoy human rights and fundamental freedoms, without hindrance or discrimination…” The president of the republic Andrés Manuel López Obrador
is only interested in not losing his popularity in the next presidential elections, turning a deaf ear to our demands for justice. The president of the republic appears, delivering works of private initiative, evading the main problems that Guerrero suffers, that is why we say Mr. president, that we will not be silent, we will not allow more disappearances, murders, forced displacements, insecurity and complicity of the authorities.
complicity of the authorities.
We call on all the native peoples to organize to raise their voices, to demand justice, a stop to the crimes committed in the indigenous communities and in all the people of Guerrero, a stop to the assassinations of journalists, human rights defenders, a stop to the collection of quotas, stop the assassinations, raise your voice to defend the rights that have been taken away from you. Stop the assassinations, raise your voice to defend the rights that have been taken away.
We also demand a stop to the insecurity and violence in all regions of Guerrero, we call on the surrounding communities, Costa Chica, Costa Grande, Costa Montaña, Costa Montaña, Montaña Alta, Montaña Baja, social organizations and human rights defenders, Let us make it clear to all the authorities that we have had enough of their lies, their mockery, and their lack of interest in the indigenous communities and the population in general. Since many have been murdered by organized crime in Guerrero without any response.
Today, November 28, we will begin a blockade and close the highways of Marquelia and Pinotepa indefinitely, as part of the actions to demand JUSTICE, STOP THE KILLING AND THE WAR AGAINST THE PEOPLES OF GUERRERO.
LONG LIVE THE PEOPLE WHO ORGANIZE AND STRUGGLE!
LONG LIVE THE EZLN!
LONG LIVE THE NATIONAL INDIGENOUS CONGRESS!
LONG LIVE THE STRUGGLE AND RESISTANCE OF THE PEOPLES OF GUERRERO!
LET THE BAD GOVERNMENTS DIE!
ATTENTIVELY
Community of Buenavista, municipality of San Luis Acatlán, Guerrero, Mexico.