Skip Navigation | HOME | UK Indymedia | Editorial Guidelines | Mission Statement | About Us | Contact | Help | Support Us

manchester Indymedia

"FREE THE ATENCO PRISONERS" : PROTEST AT LONDON MEXICAN EMBASSY TUES. 29 JUNE

Martin O'Neill | 22.06.2010 22:33 | Liverpool

While world headlines feature the deployment of the army by the Mexican government in a seemingly losing battle against drug cartels, it's less well-known that the Mexican government has moved ruthlessly to crush grassroots people's movements who have nothing to do with organised criminality.

Twelve activists from the Peoples Front for the Defence of the Land from San Salvador Atenco near Mexico City are serving jail sentences of up to 112 years. Now their case is set to be reconsidered by the Supreme Court in Mexico and people in Britain are to gather at the Mexican Embassy in London on 29th June to demand their release.

"These people have been imprisoned for the crime of standing up for the poor peasant farmers of the area," said Esther McDonald of the UK Zapatista Solidarity Network, who have organised the protest, part of a world-wide day of action. "It was the representatives of the state who committed violent atrocities at Atenco: Amnesty International has detailed shocking systematic sexual assaults and rapes by the police on 26 women during and after the police assault on Atenco in May 2006."

The events of 3rd /4th May 2006 were sparked off when police tried to arrest peasant farmers selling flowers in the street. When locals went to the flower-sellers aid and drove off the police, a massive state force gathered and then invaded Atenco. Police killed two youths, Alexis Benhumea and Francisco Javier Cortes, and arrested over 200 people. Dozens of homes were invaded without warrants, and hundreds of people were tear-gassed and beaten. Police subjected 26 women to serious sexual assaults, including rape, in attacks described by Amnesty International as "torture".  

But the roots of the conflict between the people of the area and the government go back further. In 2002 a direct action campaign against the construction of a new airport for Mexico City on local peasants' land culminated in an insurrection. The government were forced to drop their plans.

Many commentators believe the events of May 2006 were planned by the government to exact revenge, and to attempt to smash the strong organisation of the local peasants. What's more the Peoples Front for the Defence of the Land were at that time hosting Subcomandante Marcos of the Zapatistas on his tour of Mexico to launch "The Other Campaign". "The government is terrified that the Zapatistas' struggle for self-government and people's control will spread throughout the country," says Esther McDonald of the UK Zapatista Solidarity Network.

The demonstration is set to take place at the Mexican Embassy at 16 St. George Street, Hanover Square, London W1S 1FD from 11.30am till 3pm on Tuesday 29th June.

Mexican Ambassador Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza, as the Mexican Government's Secretary of Public Safety, was in command of police during the attack. Later as the Mexican Attorney-General he failed to bring anyone to justice for the human rights abuses committed by the police.

NOTES FOR EDITORS
The UK Zapatista Solidarity Network gives solidarity to the indigenous Zapatista movement in the state of Chiapas, southern Mexico, and to other movements for freedom and autonomy in Mexico.  http://ukzapatistas.wordpress.com/
The Mexican Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation is expected to review the Atenco cases in the near future, probably in late June.
Campaign for Freedom and Liberty for the Atenco prisoners  http://www.atencolibertadyjusticia.com/new/ (in Spanish)

Martin O'Neill

Download this article in pdf format >>

Email this article to someone >>

Submit an addition or make a quick comment on this article >>

Publish

Publish your news

Do you need help with publishing?

Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

Manchester Topics

Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista

Manchester Actions 2010

Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands

Manchester Actions 2009

COP15 Climate Summit 2009
G20 London Summit
Guantánamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
University Occupations for Gaza

Manchester Actions 2008

2008 Days Of Action For Autonomous Spaces
Campaign against Carmel-Agrexco
Climate Camp 2008
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Smash EDO
Stop Sequani Animal Testing
Stop the BNP's Red White and Blue festival

Manchester Actions 2007

Climate Camp 2007
DSEi 2007
G8 Germany 2007
Mayday 2007
No Border Camp 2007

Manchester Actions 2006

April 2006 No Borders Days of Action
Art and Activism Caravan 2006
Climate Camp 2006
Faslane
French CPE uprising 2006
G8 Russia 2006
Lebanon War 2006
March 18 Anti War Protest
Mayday 2006
Oaxaca Uprising
Refugee Week 2006
Rossport Solidarity
SOCPA
Transnational Day of Action Against Migration Controls
WSF 2006

Manchester Actions 2005

DSEi 2005
G8 2005
WTO Hong Kong 2005

Manchester Actions 2004

European Social Forum
FBI Server Seizure
May Day 2004
Venezuela

Manchester Actions 2003

Bush 2003
DSEi 2003
Evian G8
May Day 2003
No War F15
Saloniki Prisoner Support
Thessaloniki EU
WSIS 2003

Languages

english

IMCs


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech