From Mexico to Palestine, With Love

It's been difficult indeed to get work done these past few weeks. Life always seems to interrupt plans, especially when it comes to school work which I admit is rather low on my general list of priorities. As of late, the Israeli invasion and barbarous attacks on Gaza have kept me preoccupied and very, very angry. It's been amazing and exciting to see the size and types of demonstrations that have broken out around the world, and in the spirit of solidarity I wanted to share the details of some actions that took place in Mexico.

My Word is My Weapon reports that at the Festival de la Digna Rabia in Mexico City Subcomandante Marcos and the Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (EZLN) offered their solidarity with the Palestinian people facing down one of the most well-funded and highly trained militaries in the world. Meanwhile, Narco News reports that some clashes occurred between members/supporters of Asamblea Popular de los Pueblos de Oaxaca (APPO) and the municipal police of Oaxaca in front of the U.S. consulate there:

"The announcement of the Israel invasion of Gaza provoked world-wide pro-Palestine demonstrations, among them a protest march of a small number of adherents to the Asamblea Popular of the Peoples of Oaxaca (APPO), who on Saturday, January 3, marched from the neighborhood of Siete Regiones to the office of the American consul.

The USA’s consular office is located on the main tourist pedestrian street. The front of the building is now spray-painted, and when criminal charges were filed, the charge was defacing property. The “scene of the crime” is pictured in the accompanying photos. I suppose that prompt (illegal) police action came about out of fear of a major protest among tourists, (more of whom are European and national Mexicans, than are Americans), in front of the consular office. (As happened when the US invaded Iraq)

Before the APPO protests against the Israeli invasion could get well underway, the Municipal Police of Oaxaca arrested nineteen protesters, with unjustified roughness, according to accounts published by APPO members present, including those from the anarchist group Vocal, the Casota (a Crespo Street house previously raided by police on December 8, 2008 ), and members of the socialist and communist parties. The protesters were taken to barracks of the State Police, located in the town of San Bartólo Coyotepec.

Later reports state that some were beaten, and their belongings stolen.

As word of the arrests circulated, a crowd of APPO supporters soon appeared at the police quarters, and staged a demonstration and meeting outside its doors. The police responded by spraying tear gas onto the more than seventy people present. Among the meetings’ leaders were directors of Section 22 of the National Education Workers Union (SNTE) , including its secretary Gabriel Lopez Chavez. Also present was the ubiquitous Flavio Sosa Villavicencio."

For more, go here. Protests were also organized in a number of other Latin American countries.