I received a phone call last night from a friend in Mexico. He said that there was a demonstration in Oaxaca for Gaza yesterday. Oaxaca is Mexico’s 2nd poorest state after Chiapas and is a major site of police brutality, government corruption, and popular resistance, particularly against the right-wing administration of Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz.

Before yesterday’s demonstration could begin, however, the police arrested 25 people as they headed to protest in front of the U.S. Consulate. Many social movements have received the following communiqué from the detainees’ respective groups, which I’ve translated below. I publish this because I’d like to continue to insist that we make moves to stand with other marginalized, dispossessed, and discriminated peoples across the globe. The world reaction to Gaza is providing us with example after example that folks from the third world, even with their own major problems, have absolutely no problem fighting for Palestine because the struggle is the same.

Alert: Massive detentions in Oaxaca (Mexico).

In the middle of the day, today, Saturday the 3rd of January, 2009, a massive detention took place of over 20 compañeros and compañeras who set out to peacefully protest in front of the U.S. Consulate in Oaxaca, repulsed by the genocide perpetuated by Israel against the Palestinian people.

From the information we have received, these detentions took place as the protestors headed toward the Consulate, located in Santo Domingo de Guzmán, in Oaxaca City. Without warning, the police forces, through unproportionable and unjustified force, launched an assault against them before the protest was even able to take place.

The detained were immediately taken to the Metropolitana, although it seems they may later be transferred to San Bartolo Teontepec. Among the detained: Alebrije, Chucho, Cosme, Monty, Emo, Lallanta, Gabi, and two compañeros from Chiapas whose names we do not have at the current moment. We hope to receive the complete list of all who were detained.

The collectives and spaces who have signed below are fearful of the treatment our compañeros and compañeras might be receiving, and we affirm that the politician most responsible for these detentions, just as with any act of sexual torture, or any other attempt against the physical or mental integrity the detained compañeros and compañeras might receive, is Ulises Ruiz Ortiz.

We call on social organizations, the media, the regions of Oaxaca, Mexico, and civil society nationally and internationally to stay abreast of the news as it arrives, and to act so that, finally, the impunity with which governments act will not be ignored, and that we continue to insist on the immediate and unconditional liberty for all of the detained. Immediate and unconditional liberty for all of those detained in front of the U.S. Consulate in Oaxaca.

Liberty for the political prisoners in Oaxaca, Mexico and the world. Stop Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people. Stop the invasion of Gaza. Get out, Israeli military, out of Palestine.

Signatories:
VOCAL,
We are all Prisoners (Tod@s Somos Pres@s)
CASOTA
Brigades 94 (Brigadas 94)
Rebellious Dignitiy (Dignidad Rebelde)
The Voice of Cemzotle Collective (Colectivo La Voz del Cemzotle)

[NOTE: compañeros/compañeras does not translate into English. It is similar to companion, but closer to refer to someone who walks with you in life or on struggle. You understand it the more you see it in context, like the above.]

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