Showing posts with label Mexico. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mexico. Show all posts

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Week of mobilization and international solidarity from September 21 to September 30, for all our comrades kidnapped all over the world. in en-gr-es-it-ger (Chile)

 
Actforfreedomnow!/ receives and transmits and translated to English

Week of mobilization and international solidarity from September 21 to September 30, for all our comrades kidnapped all over the world.

The survival of capitalism is so monotonous and is structured in such a way that it is not so different from that of cruel prison. Cities, timetables, work, school, family and countless repressive bodies are  suffocating us in a way that resembles a big prison unit. Surveillance cameras 24 hours a day, thousands of cops defending property, severe judges smiling satisfied when they enforce their harsh laws, tight handcuffs before their impregnable cages, etc, etc: this is what society uses in order to keep individuals under control; those who, fearing the punishment reserved to those who trespass the codes of imposed behaviour, stay silent, get used to oppression, absorb it like an integral part of life, like something natural, and so they prefer to avoid conflict with authority instead of rebelling. The powerful in all States don’t spare any efforts to repress and imprison those who have set themselves against the existent.

But today we are not going to write about survival within capitalism. We want to greet those who did not hesitate to trespass their moral enclosures and fought power face to face, those who today are inside the most blatant edifice of repression, prison. We are writing to express our solidarity with our comrades in jail. Power attacks by imprisoning comrades and organizes itself in order to crush the ideas of freedom. The revenge of power particularly hits well known individuals who openly declare themselves antiauthoritarian or anarchist and make an important weapon of struggle out of the spreading of ideas-deeds, as happened in Italy, Bolivia and Chile. The spectre generating from the possibility of an international web (we don’t mean any kind of organization) must continue to materialize like a real proposal.

A web through which comrades in different parts of the world - who don’t know one another nor will they ever meet, don’t obey any kind of structure or need any ideologies or ‘leaders’, can unite their will, efforts and complicity in order to face dominion in all its aspects, and with different instruments can overcome language barriers and fictitious borders and establish links of solidarity by overcoming false impositions…

Therefore, from September 21 to September 30,  we call for a week of unrest and solidarity with our brothers and sisters, with comrades kidnapped all over the world. It shouldn’t be necessary to make calls for a week of unrest, as we normally don’t like to do this because ‘solidarity’ does not knows calendar dates. But actions are being diluted in the endless chasm of information and in ‘so-called local struggles’, whereas the concentration of our energies in a limited period of time will help us to give a renewed and constant impulse to the struggle against prison and the spreading of libertarian ideas. Any action, any word of support gives strength and courage to prisoners.  And in this struggle for total liberation we don’t forget the repression suffered by millions of animals locked up in zoos, circuses and laboratories. We must struggle for their liberation.

This is a call to say, by multiform actions and different instruments, that our imprisoned comrades are not forgotten. Our actions of solidarity elude all watchtowers and run over kilometres of ocean in order to embrace all the irreducible standing out in the struggle inside and outside prison.  However we put the abstract imposition of borders into question, since so-called internationalism shouldn’t be such, considering that ‘in the world of bosses we are all foreigners.’

Rebel greetings to:

-In Chile: Luciano Pitronello “Tortuga”, Carla Verdugo and Iván Silva, the comrades of so-called “Segurity case”: Juan Aliste Vega, Marcelo Villarroel, Freddy Fuentevilla. To Alberto Olivares, Juan Tapia and to the brother and sister on the run Gabriela Curilem and Diego Rios. And to those arrested in street struggles; Sebastian “Chasca” Fajardo, Eduardo “Mecha” Garay, and to all those standing trial for street clashes.

- In Bolivia: Henry Serragundo, Nina Mancilla and Mayron Mioshiro
- In Argentina: Diego Petrissans and Leandro Morel

- In Mexico: Mario Lopez, Braulio Duran and comrade on the run Felicity
Ryder’s.

-In the States : Mumia Abu Jamal, Douglas Wrigth, Brandon Baxter, Connor Stevens, Joshua Stafford, Marie Mason, Eric McDavid .

-In Indonesia: Eat and Billy.

-In Italy: Stefano Gabriele Fosco, Elisa Di Bernardo, Alessandro Settepani, Sergio Maria Stefani, Katia Di Stefano, Giuseppe Lo Turco, Paola Francesca Iozzi, Giulia Marziale, Lucca Abbá and those sentenced for the clashes of the G8 Genoa 2001,, Massimo Passamani and Daniela Battisti (under house arrest).

-In Switzerland:  Marco Camenisch and Costa.
-In Germany: Gabriel Pombo da Silva, and Sonja Suder and her codefendant Christian Gauger (the latter two were captured last year after 33 years on the run
-In Spain: Tamara Hernández (now free on bail, she was sentenced to 8 years awaiting partial amnesty to shorten her sentence), Claudio Lavazza and Juan Rico.

-To the comrades imprisoned in Russia and Belorrussia.

And above all to all the prisoners in struggle and the comrades on the run in Greece (the comrades of the Cells of Fire, Revolutionary Struggle and all those imprisoned for their antiauthoritarian practice).

And to all the prisoners who set themselves at war also from inside the cages all over the world…
Until the destruction of the last bastion of the prison society!
With anger and love…
see you in the streets!
———————————————————————————————————————————————-

                                                                                                         GREEK

[Χιλή] 21-30 Σεπτέμβρη: Μέρες αγκιτάτσιας και αλληλεγγύης με τα αιχμάλωτα
αδέρφια και συντρόφια μας ανά τον κόσμο

Η επιβίωση στον καπιταλισμό είναι τόσο καλουπωμένη και μονότονη, ώστε δεν διαφέρει πολύ από την ωμή φυλακή. Η πόλη, τα ωράρια, η δουλειά, οι σπουδές, η οικογένεια και ένα σωρό καταπιεστικοί οργανισμοί μάς πνίγουν με τρόπο τέτοιον που μερικές φορές μοιάζει λες και βρισκόμαστε σε κάποια μεγάλη πτέρυγα φυλακής. Κάμερες παρακολούθησης επί 24ώρου βάσης, χιλιάδες μπάτσοι να φυλάνε την ιδιοκτησία, αυστηροί δικαστές με χαμογελάκια ευχαρίστησης για την εφαρμογή των δρακόντειων νόμων τους, σφιχτές χειροπέδες που προηγούνται των ακατανίκητων κλουβιών τους και μια ατελείωτη σειρά αντίστοιχων καταστάσεων, είναι ό,τι χρησιμοποιεί η κοινωνία για να κρατά στη σειρά τα άτομα, τα οποία, τρέμοντας τις τιμωρίες
που τους περιμένουν αν σπάσουν τον επιβεβλημένο κώδικα συμπεριφοράς, το βουλώνουν, συνηθίζουν στην καταπίεση και την αφομοιώνουν ως δομικό στοιχείο της ζωής τους, ως κάτι το φυσικό, προτιμώντας να αποφύγουν τα μπλεξίματα με την εξουσία, αντί να εξεγερθούν.
Οι ισχυροί όλων των κρατών δεν τσιγκουνεύονται τα μέσα κάθε είδους
προκειμένου να καταστείλουν και να φυλακίσουν όσους κρατάνε στάση
σύγκρουσης με το υπάρχον. Σήμερα όμως δεν θα γράψουμε για την επιβίωση εντός του καπιταλισμού, αλλά θα χαιρετίσουμε όσες και όσους δεν δίστασαν να υπερβούν τους ηθικούς τους φραγμούς και αντιμετώπισαν πρόσωπο με πρόσωπο την εξουσία, όσες και όσους σήμερα πλαγιάζουν στην πιο προφανή απόδειξη της καταστολής, τη φυλακή. Γράφουμε για να εκφράσουμε την επείγουσα ανάγκη μας να δείξουμε την αλληλεγγύη μας στα έγκλειστα συντρόφια μας.
Η εξουσία επιτίθεται φυλακίζοντας συντρόφια και οργανώνεται για να
καταπολεμήσει τις ιδέες της λευτεριάς, με την εκδικητικότητά της να πέφτει κυρίως επί αναγνωρίσιμων ατόμων που χωρίς περιστροφές δηλώνουν αντεξουσιαστές ή αναρχικοί και φτιάχνουν μέσω της προπαγάνδας των ιδεών-δράσεων ένα σημαντικότατο όπλο αγώνα, όπως συνέβη στην Ιταλία, στη Βολιβία ή στη Χιλή. Το φάντασμα που γεννά η δυνατότητα ενός διεθνούς δικτύου (δεν αναφερόμαστε σε κανενός είδους οργάνωση) συνεχίζει να υλοποιείται ως μία πρόταση πραγματική, στην οποία συντρόφια από διάφορα μέρη του κόσμου, που δεν γνωρίζονται ούτε θα γνωριστούν μεταξύ τους, που δεν υπακούουν σε κανενός είδους δομή και δεν αναζητούν μήτε ιδεολογικούς ταγούς μήτε αρχηγούς, ενώνουν επιθυμίες, δυνάμεις και συνενοχές για να αντιμετωπίσουν την κυριαρχία σε όλο της το φάσμα, χρησιμοποιώντας διαφορετικά εργαλεία, υπερβαίνοντας τα γλωσσικά εμπόδια και τα κάλπικα σύνορα, εδραιώνοντας δεσμούς αλληλεγγύης και ξεπερνώντας τις ψεύτικες
επιβολές…
Γι’ αυτόν το λόγο, από τις 21 ως τις 30 Σεπτέμβρη καλούμε σε μια βδομάδα αγκιτάτσιας και αλληλεγγύης προς τα αιχμάλωτα αδέρφια και συντρόφια μας ανά τον κόσμο. Αν και δεν θα έπρεπε να είναι αναγκαίο να καλούμε σε εβδομάδες αγκιτάτσιας, μιας και γενικά είμαστε κριτικοί απέναντι σε αυτά τα καλέσματα, δεδομένου ότι η αλληλεγγύη δεν γνωρίζει ημερολογιακό προγραμματισμό, θεωρούμε ωστόσο ότι μερικές φορές οι χειρονομίες χάνονται στον καθημερινό καταιγισμό πληροφορίας και τους αποκαλούμενους «τοπικούς αγώνες», και έτσι η συγκέντρωση ενέργειας σε ένα χρονικό διάστημα καθορισμένο μάς βοηθά να δώσουμε μια νέα και συνεχή ώθηση στον αγώνα ενάντια στις φυλακές και στην προπαγάνδιση των ελευθεριακών ιδεών, με οποιαδήποτε δράση, οποιαδήποτε κουβέντα συμπαράστασης να δίνει δύναμη και
κουράγιο στους κρατουμένους. Σε αυτόν τον αγώνα για τη συνολική
απελευθέρωση δεν θέλουμε να αφήσουμε στην απέξω την καταστολή στην οποία υπόκεινται μυριάδες ζώα που βρίσκονται έγκλειστα σε ζωολογικούς κήπους, τσίρκα και εργαστήρια, και την ανάγκη μας να αγωνιστούμε για την απελευθέρωσή τους.
Αυτό το κείμενο καλεί να δείξουμε μέσω της πολύμορφης δράσης και
διαφορετικών εργαλείων πως δεν ξεχνάμε τα έγκλειστα συντρόφια μας και ότι οι αλληλέγγυες χειρονομίες μας ξεφεύγουν οποιουδήποτε πύργου επιτήρησης και διασχίζουν μίλια ωκεανού για ν’ αγκαλιάσουν οποιοδήποτε ανυπότακτο άτομο αγωνίζεται μέσα ή έξω από τις φυλακές. Παρομοίως, αμφισβητούμε την αφηρημένη επιβολή των συνόρων, γι’ αυτό ο αποκαλούμενος διεθνισμός δεν θα ’πρεπε να ’ναι ως έχει, γιατί «στον κόσμο των αφεντικών είμαστε όλοι ξένοι».
Αντάρτικους χαιρετισμούς σε:
- Χιλή: Σε Λουσιάνο Πιτρονέγιο «Τορτούγα», Κάρλα Βερδούγο και Ιβάν Σίλβα, στους συντρόφους της αποκαλούμενης «υπόθεσης σεκιούριτι» Χουάν Αλίστε Βέγκα, Μαρσέλο Βιγιαροέλ και Φρέντυ Φουεντεβίγια. Επίσης, στους Αλμπέρτο Ολιβάρες, Χουάν Ταπία, καθώς και στα φυγόδικα συντρόφια Γκαμπριέλα Κουριλέμ και Ντιέγο Ρίος. Ακόμη, στους Σεμπαστιάν Φαχάρδο, Εδουάρδο Γκαράυ, Αντριάν Ντίας και σε όλους τους αιχμαλώτους και διωκόμενους των οδομαχιών.
- Βολιβία: Σε Χένρυ Σεγαρρούντο, και Μάυρον Μιοσίρο.
- Αργεντινή: Σε Ντιέγο Πετρισσάνς και Λέανδρο Μορέλ.
- Μεξικό: Στους Μάριο Λόπες, Μπράουλιο Ντουράν και στη φυγόδικη
συντρόφισσα Φελίσιτυ Ράιντερ.
- ΗΠΑ: Στους Μούμια Αμπού Τζαμάλ, Ντάγκλας Ράιτ, Μπράντον Μπάξτερ, Κόννορ
Στήβενς, Τσόσουα Στάφορντ, Μαρί Μασον και Έρικ ΜακΝτέιβιντ.
- Ινδονησία: Στους Ητ και Μπίλλυ.
- Ιταλία: Στους Στέφανο Γκαμπριέλε Φόσκο, Ελίζα Ντι Μπερνάρντο, Αλεσσάντρο
Σεττέπανι, Σέρτζιο Μαρία Στεφάνι, Κάτια Ντι Στέφανο, Τζουζέππε Λο Τούρκο,
Πάολα Φραντσέσκα Ιότζι, Τζιούλια Μαρτσιάλε, Λούκα Αμπά, και στους
καταδικασθέντες για τις διαδηλώσεις ενάντια στη σύνοδο της G8 στη Γένοβα, Μασσιμο πασαμανι, Ντανιελα μπαττιστι(περιορισμενη μεσα στο σπιτι της)
- Ελβετία: Στους Μάρκο Καμένις και Κόστα.
- Γερμανία: Γκαμπριέλ Πόμπο ντα Σίλβα, Σόνια Σούντερ και Κρίστιαν
Γκάουγκερ (η Σόνια και ο Κρίστιαν συνελήφθησαν το περασμένο έτος ύστερα από 33 χρόνια αυτοεξορίας).
- Ισπανία: Στους Ταμάρα Ερνάντες (αυτήν τη στιγμή ελεύθερη, έχει
καταδικαστεί σε 8 έτη φυλάκισης κι αναμένει να λάβει μερική χάρη
προκειμένου να της μειωθεί η ποινή), Κλάουντιο Λαβάτσα και Χουάν Ρίκο.
- Στα έγκλειστα συντρόφια σε Ρωσία και Λευκορωσία.
Ιδίως στην Ελλάδα, σε όλους τους φυλακισμένους αγωνιστές και στους
καταζητούμενους. (Στα συντρόφια της Συνωμοσίας Πυρήνων της Φωτιάς, του Επαναστατικού Αγώνα και σε όλους κι όλες που βρίσκονται όμηροι για αντεξουσιαστική τους πράξη.)
Και σε όλους τους κρατουμένους που κρατάνε μαχητική στάση μέσα απ’ τα
κελιά οπουδήποτε στον κόσμο…
Μέχρι την καταστροφή και του τελευταίου προπύργιου της κοινωνίας των φυλακών!
ΜΕ ΑΓΑΠΗ ΚΑΙ ΛΥΣΣΑ… ΡΑΝΤΕΒΟΥ ΣΤΟ ΔΡΟΜΟ.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ITALIANO:Settimana di agitazione e solidarieta` internazionale dal 21 al 30 Settembre per i nostri compagni e le nostre compagne sequestrat@ in tutto il mondo
La sopravvivenza nel capitalismo e` cosi` quadricolata e monotona da non essere poi molto differente da quella della cruda prigione; la citta`, gli orari, il lavoro, lo studio, la famiglia e un innumerabile quantita` di organismi oppresivi, ci asfissiano in tal modo che a volte sembrerebbe stessimo in qualche grande sezione carceraria. Videocamere di vigilanza 24 ore al giorno, migliaia di sbirri custodiando la proprieta`, severi giudici con sorrisetti soddisfatti all’applicare le loro leggi durissime, strette manette che precedono le loro gabbie inespugnabili e un lunghissimo eccetera, e` tutto cio` che la societa` utilizza per mantenere controllati gli individui, coloro che, timorosi dei castighi promessi a chi sconfina i codici di condotta imposta, tacciono, si abituano alla oppressione, la assimilano come parte integrale della vita, come qualcosa di naturale e preferiscono evitare i conflitti con la autorita` invece di ribellarsi.
I potenti di tutti gli stati non si sono risparmiti sforzi di tutti i tipi per reprimere e incarcerare coloro che si sono mantenuti in posizioni di scontro con l’esistente.
Ma oggi non scriveremo a proposito della sopravvivenza dentro al capitalismo, vogliamo invece salutare quell@ che non hanno avuto nessun dubbio a traspassare i loro recinti morali e si sono scontrati faccia a faccia con il potere, quell@ che ad oggi dormono dentro al piu`palpabile edificio della repressione, il carcere. Scriviamo per esprimere la nostra urgenza di solidarizzare con i nostri compagni e le nostre compagne in galera.
Il potere attacca incarcerando i compagni e le compagne e si coordina per combattere le idee di liberta`.
Questa vendetta ricade principalmente su individui ben riconoscibili che senza maschere si sono dichiarati antiautoritari o anarchici e hanno fatto del propagarsi delle idee-azioni una importantissima arma di lotta, come cio` che e` successo in Italia, Bolivia o Cile.
Il fantasma che si genera nella possibilita`di una rete internazionale (non ci riferiamo a nessun tipo di organizzazione) continui a materializzarsi, come una proposta reale.
Una rete nella quale compagn@ di differenti luoghi del mondo, che non si conoscono ne`si conosceranno mai, che non obbediscono a nessun tipo di struttura e  che non hanno bisogno di ideologi ne`leader, uniscano volonta`, sforzi e complicita`per confrontarsi con il dominio in tutto il suo spettro; che, attraverso differenti strumenti, superando le barriere linguistiche e le frontiere fittizie, stabiliscano legami di solidarieta` e superino le false imposizioni…
Convochiamo quindi, dal 21 al 30 di settembre, una settimana di agitazione e solidarieta’  con i nostri fratelli e le nostre sorelle, con i compagni e le compagne sequestrat@ in tutto il mondo.
Anche se non dovrebbe essere necessario appellare a settimane di agitazione, visto che in generale ne siamo critici perche` la solidarieta’ non conosce date di calendario, i gesti comunque si vanno diluendo nella continua voragine della informazione e nelle “cosidette lotte locali” mentre la concentrazione delle energie in un lasso di tempo ridotto, ci aiuta invece a dare un nuovo e costante impulso nella lotta contro le carceri e nella diffusione delle idee libertarie; qualsiasi azione, qualsiasi parola di appoggio apporta forza e coraggio ai detenuti e alle detenute.
E in questa lotta per la liberazione totale non vogliamo tralasciare la repressione che soffrono milioni di animali chiusi in zoo, circhi e laboratori, e della nostra necessita` di lottare per la loro liberazione.
Questo testo e` una chiamata per dire, mediante l’azione multiforme e con distinti strumenti, che i nostri compagni e le nostre compagne incarcerat@ non sono dimenticat@, i nostri gesti di solidarieta’ evadono qualsiasi torre di vigilanza e attraversano chilometri di oceano per abbracciare a qualsiasi irriducibile che si posizioni nella lotta dentro e fuori dal carcere.
Della stessa forma poniamo in dubbio questa imposizione astratta delle frontiere, ragione per cui il cosidetto internazionalismo non dovrebbe essere tale, visto che “nel mondo dei leader siamo tutti stranieri”.
Saluti ribelli a:
-In Cile: Luciano Pitronello “Tortuga”, Carla Verdugo e Iván Silva, a i compagni e le compagne del cosidetto  “caso Segurity”:  Juan Aliste Vega, Marcelo Villarroel, Freddy Fuentevilla. A Alberto Olivares, Juan Tapia e ai fratelli e sorelle profugh@  Gabriela Curilem e Diego Rios. E agli arrestati della lotta di strada; Sebastian Fajardo, Eduardo Garay, e a tutt@ quell@ che sono ora sotto processo per gli scontri di strada.
- In Bolivia: Henry Serragundo e Mayron Mioshiro.
- in Argentina: Diego Petrissans e Leandro Morel.
- in Messico: Mario Lopez, Braulio Duran e la compagna  prófuga Felicity Ryder.
-Negli Stati uniti : Mumia Abu Jamal, Douglas Wrigth, Brandon Baxter, Connor Stevens, Joshua Stafford, Marie Mason e Eric McDavid.
-In Indonesia: Eat y Billy.
-In Italia: Stefano Gabriele Fosco, Elisa Di Bernardo, Alessandro Settepani, Sergio Maria Stefani, Katia Di Stefano, Giuseppe Lo Turco, Paola Francesca Iozzi, Giulia Marziale, Lucca Abbá e a chi e’ stat@ condannat@ per le proteste del G8 a Genova, Massimo Passamani e Daniela Battisti (agli arresti domiciliari).
-In Svizzera: Marco Camenish e Costa.
-In Germania: Gabriel Pombo da Silva. Sonja Suder e Christian Gauger (questi ultimi due arrestati l’anno scorso dopo 3 anni di fuga).
-In Spagna: Tamara Hernández (adesso a piede libero, condannata a 8 anni e aspettando l’indulto parziale per accorciare la pena), Claudio Lavazza e Juan Rico.
-Ai compagni e alle compagne incarcerat@ in Russia e Biolorrussia.
- E specialmente a tutt@ i/le prigionier@ in lotta e ai/alle profugh@ in Grecia. (Ai compagni e le compagne di Cellule di Fuoco, Lotta rivoluzionaria e tutt@ quell@ che sono stat@ incarcerat@ per la propria pratica antiautoritaria)
E a tutt@ i/le prigionier@ che si posizionano in guerra anche dentro le gabbie in qualsiasi parte del mondo…
Fino alla distruzione dell’ultimo bastione della societa’ carceraria!
CON AMORE E RABIA… CI VEDIAMO NELLE STRADE!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GERMAN
Agitations- und Solidaritätswoche mit unseren gefangenen Schwestern, Brüdern und GenossInnen auf der ganzen Welt vom 21. bis 30. September.
Das Überleben im Kapitalismus ist so eingeschränkt und monoton, dass es sich nicht allzu sehr vom hartem Gefängnisleben unterscheidet; die Stadt, die Zeitpläne, die Arbeit, das Studium, die Familie und eine Unzahl an unterdrückenden Organismen ersticken uns, so dass es manchmal scheint, als ob wir in irgendeinem großen Gefängnistrakt wären. Videoüberwachung 24 Stunden am Tag, Tausende von Polizisten, die das Eigentum beaufsichtigen, strenge Richter mit zufriedenen Lächeln auf den Lippen, wenn sie ihre harten Gesetze anwenden, fest sitzende Fußfesseln, die ihren unerschütterlichen Käfigen vorausgehen und eine langen Liste an weiteren Mitteln, die die Gesellschaft benützt, um die Individuen in Schranken zu halten; die versprochenen Strafen bei Überschreitung der auferlegten Verhaltensmaßregeln fürchtend, halten sie den Mund, gewöhnen sich an die Unterdrückung, nehmen sie als Teil ihres Lebens, als etwas natürliches auf und ziehen es somit vor, Konflikte mit der Autorität zu vermeiden und sich lieber nicht aufzulehnen.
Die Mächtigen aller Staaten haben keinerlei Mühen gescheut, um diejenigen zu unterdrücken und einzusperren, die in Konfrontationsstellung zu den bestehenden Verhältnissen verharrt haben. Aber heute schreiben wir nicht über das Überleben innerhalb des Kapitalismus, sondern grüssen diejenigen, die nicht gezweifelt haben, ihre moralische Einzäunung zu durchbrechen und sich von Angesicht zu Angesicht der Macht entgegengestellt haben, die heute in dem greifbarsten Gebäude der Repression schlafen, im Gefängnis. Wir schreiben, um der Notwendigkeit Ausdruck zu verleihen, uns mit unseren GenossInnen im Gefängnis zu solidarisieren.
Die Macht greift an, indem sie GenossInnen einsperrt und koordiniert sich, um die Ideen der Freiheit zu bekämpfen; diese Rache fällt vor allem auf erkennbare Individuen ab, die sich offen antiautoritär und anarchisch erklärt und aus der Verbreitung der Ideen-Aktionen eine sehr wichtige Waffe des Kampfes gemacht haben, so wie in Italien, Bolivien und $hile. Das Gespenst, das ihnen die Möglichkeit eines internationalen Netzwerkes eröffnet (wir beziehen uns auf keinerlei Art von Organisation), materialisiert sich immer mehr als ein realer Vorschlag, in dem GenossInnen aus verschiedenen Orten der Welt, die sich weder kennen, noch kennenlernen werden, die keiner Art von Struktur gehorchen und die keine Ideologen, keine AnführerInnen benötigen, Wille, Anstrengung und Komplizenschaft vereinen, um sich der Herrschaft in all ihren Spektren entgegen zu stellen, Solidaritätsbände knüpfen und die falschen Zwänge überwinden, indem sie unterschiedliche Werkzeuge gebrauchen und die sprachlichen Hürden und erfundenen Grenzen überbrücken…
Deswegen rufen wir zu einer Agitations- und Solidaritätswoche mit unseren gefangenen Schwestern, Brüdern und GenossInnen auf der ganzen Welt vom 21. bis 30. September auf. Auch wenn es nicht notwendig sein sollte, zu Agitationswochen aufzurufen -im Allgemeinen stehen wir ihnen kritisch gegenüber, weil die Solidarität keine Kalenderdaten kennt, lösen sich die Gesten jedoch manchmal im fortlaufendem Strudel der Information und den “so genannten lokalen Kämpfen” auf. Die Energien auf einen engeren Zeitraum zu konzentrieren hilft uns, dem Kampf gegen die Gefängnisse und der Verbreitung libertärer Ideen einen neuen und konstanten Antrieb zu geben, jegliche Aktion, jegliches Wort der Unterstützung gibt den Gefangenen neue Kraft und Mut.
Ausserdem möchten wir in diesem Kampf um die totale Befreiung die Repression, die Millionen von Tieren eingesperrt in Zoos, Zirkusse und Labore erleiden, und unser Bedürfnis, um ihre Befreiung zu kämpfen, nicht unerwähnt lassen.
Dieser Text ist ein Aufruf dazu, aus der vielgestaltigen Aktion heraus und mit unterschiedlichen Werkzeugen auszudrücken, dass unsere eingesperrten GenossInnen nicht vergessen sind, unsere Gesten der Solidarität entkommen jeglichem Überwachungsturm und überqueren Kilometer von Ozeanen, um jedes unbezwingbare Individuum zu umarmen, das innerhalb oder ausserhalb der Gefängnisse Position bezieht. Ausserdem stellen wir jene abstrakte Auferlegung der Grenzen infrage, und damit auch den so genannten Internationalismus, dieser dürfte sich nicht so nennen, weil in “der Welt der Bosse sind wir alle AussländerInnen”.
Rebelische Grüsse an:
- In Chile: Luciano Pitronello “Tortuga”, Carla Verdugo und Iván Silva, an die Genossen des so genannten “caso Segurity” (“Segurity Fall”): Juan Aliste Vega, Marcelo Villarroel, Freddy Fuentevilla. An Alberto Olivares, Juan Tapia und an die Schwester und den Bruder auf der Flucht Gabriela Curilem und Diego Rios. Und an die Gefangenen des Straßenkampfes; Sebastian Fajardo, Eduardo Garay, und alle, die wegen des Straßenkampfes prozesiert werden.
- In Bolivien: Henry Serragundo und Mayron Mioshiro
- In Argentinien: Diego Petrissans und Leandro Morel.
- In Mexiko: Mario Lopez, Braulio Duran und die flüchtige Genossin Felicity Ryder.
- In den USA: Mumia Abu Jamal, Douglas Wrigth, Brandon Baxter, Connor Stevens, Joshua Stafford, Marie Mason und Eric McDavid.
- In Indonesien: Eat und Billy.
- In Italien: Stefano Gabriele Fosco, Elisa Di Bernardo, Alessandro Settepani, Sergio Maria Stefani, Katia Di Stefano, Giuseppe Lo Turco, Paola Francesca Iozzi, Giulia Marziale, Lucca Abbá und an die Verurteilten wegen der G8 Proteste in Genua, Massimo Passamani und Daniela Battisti.
- In der Schweiz: Marco Camenish und Costa.
- In Deutschland: Gabriel Pombo da Silva. Sonja Suder und Christian Gauger (die letzten beiden letztes Jahr nach 33 Jahren Flucht erfasst).
- In Spanien: Tamara Hernández (auf der Straße, zu 8 Jahren Haft verurteilt und in Erwartung auf Strafminderung, um die Haftstrafe zu kürzen), Claudio Lavazza und Juan Rico.
- An die in Russland und Belarus eingesperrten GenossInnen.
- Besonders an alle kämpfenden Gefangenen und an die Flüchtigen in Griechenland. (An die GenossInnen der Feuerzellen, Revolutionären Kampfes, und all diejenigen, die auf Grund ihrer antiautoritären Praxis eingesperrt worden sind)
Und an all die Gefangenen, die sich innerhalb der Käfige wo auch immer auf der Welt im Krieg erklären und Position beziehen…
¡Bis das letzte Bollwerk der Knastgesellschaft zerstört ist!
MIT LIEBE UND WUT… WIR SEHEN UNS AUF DER STRASSE.
———————————————————————————————————————————————
SPANISH
Semana de Agitación y Solidaridad desde el 21 al 30 de Septiembre con nuestrxs hermanxs y compañerxs secuestradxs en todo el mundo.
La sobrevivencia en el capitalismo es tan cuadriculada y monótona que no difiere demasiado de la cruda cárcel; la ciudad, los horarios, el trabajo, el estudio, la familia y un sinnúmero de organismos opresivos nos asfixian de manera que a veces pareciera que estuviéramos en algún gran módulo carcelario. Cámaras de video vigilancia 24 horas al día, miles de policías custodiando la propiedad, estrictos jueces con sonrisitas satisfechas por aplicar sus durísimas leyes, apretados grilletes que preceden a sus inexpugnables jaulas y un larguísimo etcétera es lo que la sociedad utiliza para mantener a raya a los individuos, quienes temerosos de los castigos prometidos por desbordar los códigos de conducta impuestos, callan, se acostumbran a la opresión, la asimilan como parte integral de su vida, como algo natural prefiriendo evitar conflictos con la autoridad antes que rebelarse.
Los poderosos de todos los Estados, no han escatimado esfuerzos de todo tipo para reprimir y encarcelar a quienes se han mantenido en posiciones de enfrentamiento a lo existente. Pero hoy no escribiremos de la sobrevivencia dentro del capitalismo, sino que saludaremos a esxs que no dudaron en traspasar sus cercas morales y se enfrentaron cara a cara con el Poder, quienes hoy duermen en el más palpable edificio de la represión, la cárcel. Escribimos para expresar nuestra urgencia de solidarizar con nuestrxs compañerxs en prisión.
El Poder ataca encarcelando a compañerxs y se coordina para combatir las ideas de libertad, esta venganza cae principalmente hacia reconocibles individuxs que sin tapujos se han declarado anti-autoritarixs u anárquicxs y han hecho de la propagación de ideas-acciones una importantísima arma de lucha, como lo ocurrido en Italia, Bolivia o $hile. El fantasma que les genera la posibilidad de una red internacional (no nos referimos a ningún tipo de organización) se continúe materializando como una propuesta real, en la cual compañerxs de distintos lugares del mundo, que no se conocen ni se conocerán, que no obedecen a ningún tipo de estructura, y que no requieren de ideólogxs, ni jefxs, aúnen voluntades, esfuerzos y complicidades para enfrentarse al dominio en todo sus espectro, y utilizando distintas herramientas, superando las barreras idiomáticas, y las ficticias fronteras, establezcan lazos de solidaridad y superen las falsas imposiciones….
Es por eso que nos convocamos a una Semana de Agitación y Solidaridad desde el 21 al 30 de Septiembre con nuestrxs hermanxs y compañerxs secuestradxs en todo el mundo. Si bien no debería ser necesario apelar a semanas de agitación, en general somos críticos de ellas, porque la solidaridad no conoce de fechas calendarizadas, sin embargo a veces los gestos se diluyen en la continua vorágine de la información y las “llamadas luchas locales”, la concentración de energías en un espacio de tiempo reducido nos ayuda a dar un nuevo y constante impulso en la lucha contra las cárceles y la propagación de ideas libertarias, cualquier acción, cualquier palabra de apoyo inyecta fuerza y coraje a lxs presxs.
En esta lucha por la liberación total no queremos también dejar de mencionar la represión que sufren millones de animales encerrados en zoológicos, circos y laboratorios, y de nuestra necesidad de luchar por su liberación.
Este texto es un llamado a expresar desde la acción multiforme y con distintas herramientas que nuestrxs compañerxs encarceladxs no están olvidadxs, nuestros gestos solidaridad evaden cualquier torre de vigilancia y atraviesan kilómetros oceánicos para abrazar a cualquier irreductible que se posicione en lucha dentro o fuera de las cárceles.
Asimismo nos cuestionamos esa abstracta imposición de las fronteras, por lo tanto el llamado internacionalismo, no debería ser tal, porque en “el mundo de los jefes somos todxs extranjerxs”.
Saludos rebeldes a:
-En Chile: Luciano Pitronello “Tortuga”, Carla Verdugo e Iván Silva, a lxs compaeñros del llamado “caso Segurity”: Juan Aliste Vega, Marcelo Villarroel, Freddy Fuentevilla. A Alberto Olivares, Juan Tapia y a lxs hermanxs profugxs Gabriela Curilem y Diego Ríos. Y a los presos de la lucha callejera; Sebastian Fajardo, Eduardo Garay, Adrián Díaz y todxs lxs que se encuentran procesadxs por la lucha callejera.
-En Bolivia: Henry Serragundo y Mayron Mioshiro.
-En Argentina: Diego Petrissans y Leandro Morel.
-En Mexico: Mario Lopez, Braulio Duran y a la compañera prófuga Felicity Ryder.
-En Estados Unidos: Mumia Abu Jamal, Douglas Wrigth, Brandon Baxter, Connor Stevens, Joshua Stafford, Marie Mason y Eric McDavid
-En Indonesia: Eat y Billy.
-En Italia: Stefano Gabriele Fosco, Elisa Di Bernardo, Alessandro Settepani, Sergio Maria Stefani, Katia Di Stefano, Giuseppe Lo Turco,
Paola Francesca Lozzi, Giulia Marziale, Lucca Abbá a lxs condenadxs por las protestas del G8 en Genova, Massimo Passamani y Daniela Battisti (con arresto domiciliario).
-En Suiza: Marco Camenish y Costa.
-En Alemania: Gabriel Pombo da Silva, Sonja Suder y su coacusado Christian Gauger (estxs últimxs capturados el año pasado luego de 33 años de fuga).
-En España: Tamara Hernández (en la calle, condenada a 8 años y a espera de indulto parcial para recortar la pena), Claudio Lavazza y Juan Rico.
-A lxs compañerxs enjauladxs en Rusia y Biolorrusia.
-En especial a todxs lxs presxs en lucha y a lxs prófugos en Grecia. (A lxs compañerxs de la Conspiración de Células del Fuego, Lucha Revolucionaria, y todxs aquellxs que han sido encarcelados por su praxis anti autoritaria).
Y a todxs lxs prisionerxs que se posicionan en guerra dentro de las jaulas en cualquier lugar del mundo…
¡Hasta destruir el último bastión de la sociedad carcelaria!
CON AMOR Y RABIA… NOS VEMOS EN LA CALLE.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Autonomous Paths Converge in Cherán

 
The Cherán K’eri uprising on April 15, 2011 and the process of
self-government now underway in that community is, for many, a source of
inspiration, a strong show of resistance to be defended, and an experience
to learn from. That’s why around 500 people from 15 cities in Mexico and
11 countries in the world set up camp just outside this Purépecha town in
Michoacán on May 24-27, 2012, as part of the National Encounter of
Autonomous Anti-Capitalist Resistance. The idea was to lend support to the
Cherán community and share experiences of autonomy, options of
self-organization, and ways of living in harmony with nature.

During three marches through the streets of the town, people shouted:
We’re with you, Cherán! You can count on us, Cherán!

Guille, a Cherán woman, speaks | Voices of the Community Patrol | From Radio Fogata, Ángel y Mauri talk about their project

In the inauguration ceremony in the main plaza, the Town Council of Cherán
welcomed everyone, and spiritual leader José Merced pointed out that this
is not Cherán’s first insurrection. During the Mexican Revolution, Cherán
rose up in arms. He said, “In Cherán’s new self-government the K’eri are
the councils directly chosen by the people, shutting out the political
parties and politicians seeking power. In Cherán K’eri they’re a thing of
the past!… We welcome you with all our heart regardless of age. Youth is
something we carry in our hearts. We´re forever young in our hearts and
souls — young warriors forever.”

In the ceremony, Eduarda of Radio Ñomndaa read a document about autonomy
that spoke of Cherán as an example of struggle, dignity and resistance. A
statement by the Autonomous Anti-Capitalist Resistance Network was also
read which defined four avenues of resistance: blocking the flow of
capital, ending the war on the people of Mexico, defending Mother Nature,
and building autonomy. Messages of support were read from Occupy Oakland
and Barcelona’s indignant movement. The announcer asked for a moment of
silence for ten community people killed in defense of the forest and the
community, and a traditional ceremony was then held in which four young
girls presented the beautiful flag of the Purépecha nation with the symbol
of the great fire in the center and the inscription Juchari Uinapikua, Our
Force, written below.”

The same afternoon in the main plaza, the first forum was held with
speakers from the Brigada Callejera, FPFVI-UNOPI and Radio Ñomndaa, groups
that have spent years on paths of resistance, autonomy and
self-organization. The first group began organizing sex workers in the
area of one of the oldest urban markets in Mexico City and now has
chapters in 28 states, the second has concentrated on housing problems and
the creation of cultural and educational spaces in urban neighborhoods,
and the third helped establish the autonomous municipality of Suljaa on
the Costa Chica of Guerrero and set up a radio station in the amuzgo
language, Radio Ñomndaa, Word of the Water, under heavy repression from
local power bosses and governments of all political parties.

In the days that followed, activities included fire ceremonies, workshops,
dialogue tables, forums, video screenings and cultural programs featuring
traditional music and dances of Cherán along with a little rap, reggae dub
and ska.

On May 26, the last night of the Encounter, a forum was held in which
Ignacio del Valle of San Salvador Atenco was one of the speakers. He
recalled the words of a federal police chief: “Get out of our way because
we’re going to sweep you off the streets.” “But we decided not to be swept
off the streets,” said Nacho. “We will never forget the way they attacked
us, but we have to move on ahead, refusing to give up or give in.” Other
participants from Cherán included the young people of Radio Fogata and the
Community Patrol, as well as a member of the Cherán Town Council, who
recalled that the community had been divided by the indolence and
selfishness of six political parties that allowed the destruction of the
forest, the water, and the life of the community until a group of brave
women, along with the youth of the town, put an end to the abuses. He
stressed that there are no leaders in Cherán, where “keeping a tree alive
is support for life itself.”

The applause was overwhelming when Angelina took her place on the
platform. She reminded people that before April 15, 2011, townspeople
weren’t free to walk in the streets at night. “We had to take action for
our children’s sake,” she said. After running out the clear-cutters, the
women spent many cold nights around campfires in defense of the community.
“We used to be afraid,” she said, “but now I’m happy because we’re doing
pretty well and we’re freer than we were before.” The next speaker was
Alicia, a member of the Dialogue Commission, who spoke about how a handful
of women had to break with despair and humiliation in order to take the
lead in the defense of the forest and the community.

In the forum, the anthropologist Gilberto López y Rivas reminded everyone
of the military and police penetration of the United States in Mexico and
of that country’s imperial strategy. He said that in Cherán we have seen
how autonomy can be a way to struggle against organized crime, but
autonomy is not always a positive thing. We have to give it content, he
said, and the key to that is self-transformation.

On May 27, the Encounter ended with a spirited march (the third) from the
camp to the center of town. A contingent of townspeople joined in, dancing
joyfully in lines that wound through the streets to the music of the
Cherán brass band.

At the closing ceremony of the Encounter, participants voiced our support
for the freedom of political prisoners Alberto Patishtán Gómez and
Francisco Sántiz López, demanded justice for San Juan Copala, and
repudiated the evacuation of the Altépetl occupation in Mexico City. We
reiterated our support for Cherán and approved a proposal of the
Autonomous Anti-Capitalist Resistance Network to hold a series of national
solidarity activities with the people of Cherán.

The voices of some people of Cherán interviewed by this reporter are
transcribed below; in two cases other members of the free and independent
media participated in the interviews:


Guille, a Cherán woman, speaks:

“It was really early in the morning. A lot of people hadn’t gotten up yet.
I was one of the first people to respond to the call for action. I was
really worried because of all the fireworks set off in the area where the
conflict began. Here, we use fireworks to communicate with each other when
something important happens in the community. When people hear them, we
unconsciously count how many have sounded. If there are more than three,
we go out into the street to see what’s happening. That day it seemed like
hundreds were set off. Then the church bells began to ring and that’s
always a sign that something really big is happening. It’s like saying:
Watch out, Cherán. We’re in deep trouble.

“I work in a nursery and before that day I just did my job. I hardly ever
went to meetings. When they were clear-cutting, a lot of people were
threatened and there were even kidnappings and extortions. After 7 o’clock
in the evening, we couldn’t walk around in the streets. We had to stay
inside because that’s when they came in to cut down trees, and if they saw
people on the streets, they threatened us. They began to come down the
mountain with the wood around 3, 4, or 5 o’clock in the morning.

“There were meetings to talk about what to do, and they were held more
frequently after three people from the Communal Property Commission were
disappeared on February 10, 2011. In the meetings, there was a lot of
division over peoples’ proposals and none of us dared to say ‘enough is
enough’ because we were afraid. But April 15 wasn’t a day like any other.

“When I went to see what was going on, I found out that a neighbor had
been wounded and that there was a need to support the women who were
taking action. I started walking through the streets telling everybody to
block the roads because the trucks were no longer allowed in the
community. I wanted more people to come out to support these women. So
from the very first day, I was with them.

“I’ll just explain what they were doing there. Every Friday it’s customary
for all the women to sweep the streets of the town really early in the
morning, around 6 o’clock. So that day, the group of women sweeping in the
area of El Calvario church were the ones who started the whole thing.
There must have been about twenty of them. It was always a sad sight to
see those trucks coming down the mountain loaded with wood, and that day
several of them came down at the same time right around 6 o’clock in the
morning. Those women just started throwing stones and fireworks at them.
Nobody said, ‘Today’s the day’, or ‘We’ll begin at such and such an hour’.
Things just kicked off. It was spontaneous”.

“When they heard the fireworks and the church bells, a group of young
people joined in almost immediately, and then a lot more neighbors did,
too. Seven trucks were burned and five men were detained. The rest got
away with the help of our local police. From that time on, we stopped
recognizing the authority of the police. Most of them weren’t even from
here. And in fact, they were working with the organized crime group. The
people detained were held for seven days.

“From then on, we began to have meetings every day at 6 o’clock in the
evening, at first in the El Calvario neighborhood and then at established
points in each of the four barrios. The general meetings were held in the
center of town. It was really heavy because we’d never been through
anything like that before. Some people took quite a long time to get over
their fright and come out of their houses.

“It’s almost impossible to say what I felt at the time. I felt a lot of
impotence when I thought we weren’t going to be able to stop them because
they were armed and we weren’t, but at the same time, that very impotence
made me angry enough to keep on. We couldn’t stand by and do nothing just
because they had arms. We didn’t know what was going to happen, but
fortunately, I think we’ve put a dent in the number of trees they were
chopping down, and above all, I think we’re more free than we were before.

“The barricades were put up that same day. Campfires were also lit on the
street corners every night. How? We don’t know. It was almost instinctual.
‘I’m here on this street corner and I’m going to protect my area.’ Nobody
told us: ‘You, make fires. You, put up barricades.’ There were no
leaders, and the community patrol wasn’t organized until later on. We were
unarmed. All we had were the groups of guards organized around the fires.
Women, men, young people and children joined in.

“I think we began to practice autonomy the moment we decided to stand up
to those people. Why don’t we want municipal presidents and all that?
Because they’re part of the game. If we accept them, it would be the same
thing as allowing our forests to be destroyed even more than they already
have been. The politicians are hand in hand with organized crime.

“From that day to this, we’re different. And struggling, fighting to be
different has cost lives. But in honor of those people who have given
their lives for this struggle, we’re going to keep on doing all we can to
protect Mother Nature, which is our life. I feel calm and peaceful. I
identify with what’s going on because I lived it from the very first
moment. I don’t have children, but I have nephews, and I want them to live
free.

“There’s still a lot of uncertainty because we haven’t achieved all that
we want to. We haven’t been able to get them to leave our territory alone.
Even though they’re not clear-cutting here, they’re taking out wood from
other areas. Not as much as before, but we still can’t breathe a sigh of
relief. We want them to leave our forests in good shape.

“There are brigades of men who go up the forest every day to watch over
them, reforest, rehabilitate, and clean them. It’s really dangerous.
Unfortunately, we’ve lost more lives in our attempts to rescue the forest.

“Some people are sorry they got involved, especially those who had an
interest in the power struggles of the political parties. But those who
were looking for a position of power in the town government were shut out,
and in a way, defeated. Once again, they’re trying to disintegrate us, but
we hope they won’t be successful. We’re still strong and we’re united.
We’re in the majority. In our movement there are people who never had
anything to do with the political parties. I think we’re on the right
track. We haven’t gained everything we want to, but we’re safer than
before. And we’re free.

“The only thing I’d like is for people who read your article to analyze
the movement and see that it has nothing to do with the interests of a
small group of people. The benefits are going to be for everybody. We all
love the planet. The trees give us life. They give us water. And we have
to respect their lives, too.”


Voices of the Community Patrol

Interview done in conjunction with María X and Elena

“When they were cutting down trees up on the mountain, they passed through
the town and we had to get out of their way because they were armed.
That’s why we were afraid. We had asked the government to stop the
clear-cutting, but as usual, those authorities don’t do a thing for the
people. It’s just one promise after another. Even now, nothing at all has
been resolved by the government –– only by the people.

“When this movement got going, the people who started it were the women.
It was around 4 o’clock in the morning when they began to stop the trucks
and set off fireworks. And people started gathering near the chapel in the
third barrio called El Calvario. That’s where it all began. A lot of
people turned out. We blocked the street with stones. Nobody could come
into the town. We put up the barricades and lit the campfires, and people
brought us food at night. But at first, the Community Patrol didn’t exist.
We rose up unarmed, and it wasn’t until later on that we armed ourselves.

“Some of the people proposed the formation of the Patrol and invited young
people to sign up. I was invited to join, and I’ve been part of it since
two months after the conflict began. Why? Because I wanted to be on the
side of the people. I wanted to defend them. I wanted to make sure those
criminals couldn’t come back. That’s why we got organized.

“We’re volunteers. Nobody says: ‘You, come over here’. From the first, we
were the ones who started arming ourselves. Personally, I really like this
movement. It’s against those guys who were cutting down our forests. We
have four barrios here, and we each watch over our own barrio. At first it
was pretty tiring to be here day and night, but now we’ve gotten a little
better organized. We come in at 10 o’clock in the morning and leave at 10
o’clock at night. Then another shift comes in and we can rest for a while.

“We don’t have any bosses. All of us are together here. Anybody in the
Patrol can answer any question you want to ask us. We all know what’s gone
on here and what’s going on right now. We’re here of our own free will.
Now we have coordinators, but the decisions are made by all of us.

“We’ve achieved some of our goals. Now they’re not clear-cutting around
here, although they are still taking out wood from that hill over there
through a ranch called Cerezos. But since we’ve been standing guard, the
situation has calmed down. They haven’t disappeared any more people here
in Cherán. People can walk around freely at night because they know we’re
here at the entrances to the town. We’ve set up our own government. We
don’t want to have anything to do with the political parties because all
they do is create divisions. Instead, everybody is working together now.

“There are people who are against the movement. Most of them are in the
wood business, but they’re only about an eighth of the community. Most
people agree with us. The situation is still tense. In April two community
people were killed and today they found the body of another person. We
still don’t have all the details of what happened. All the people we
kicked out probably want to come back. But they’re not going to be able
to. We want to thank all the people who’ve supported us.”


From Radio Fogata, Ángel y Mauri talk about their project

Interview conducted along with Alejandra of La Voz de Villa Radio

Mauri: The name of the radio has to do with the way the community got
organized around the campfires when the movement first started on April
15, 2011. We chose the name Radio Fogata because of these campfires and
also because, for the Purépechas, fire is a major symbol and a way to get
organized. The radio began as a workshop for young people …. Most were
between 15 and 20 years old…. We talk about problems of migration and the
environment and about women’s issues. Other community groups also
participate in the programs. We’ve invited the children several times, for
example. They’re really interested in taking care of our natural
resources.…

Ángel: One of the reasons we decided to start a radio is to inform the
townspeople and communicate with them. In the past, there wasn’t a way to
communicate with people when there were meetings or events or when
something important happened. There is another radio in Cherán, but it
belongs to the government and it’s never broadcast information about
what’s really happening.…

Mauri: Yes, as a matter of fact, that radio was once taken over. The whole
community came out against it because it never said anything about what
was going on here. Then, after the workshop, we started this radio with
people who’ve never worked at a radio station but who want to support the
community somehow…

Ángel: Beforehand, I was a high school student. At the time, there were no
classes and I didn’t have anything to do, so I decided to pitch in. I was
just staying at home doing nothing, and we’re never going to get anywhere
that way, are we? So one day I decided to get out of the house, and I
heard about the radio workshop. I said to myself: Come on, let’s go. Let’s
see what this is all about.

Mauri: I didn’t have any experience in communication. I also heard about
the workshop and it sounded interesting. I never believed I’d be part of a
radio project one day and that I’d be broadcasting programs about the
environment, which I did have some experience in. I used to study in the
School of Biology in Morelia and I’m really interested in nature. So when
I did join the radio collective and saw a lot of the environmental
problems we have here in the community, I decided to do a program with a
comrade and get out information to all the youth, all the people, all the
children, telling them that we have to change our way of relating to
nature and start taking care of our resources so we can be in peace with
ourselves and our natural environment.

Ángel: The main satisfaction you get from working in a radio collective
like this is that you change as a person. You stop thinking that everyone
is happy and that everyone is a good person. You totally change your way
of thinking about the political parties, about the way people get
organized, about what’s happening in the world. You get more interested in
what’s going on around us.

Mauri: You learn a lot from everybody that comes to visit, from all the
collectives that come here from other parts of the country and other parts
of the world…We’ve realized that we’re not the only ones with community
problems…You have a lot of new experiences and you learn a lot from them,
and you feel good because you know people are listening to you on the
radio and you can change the way a lot of people think.

Ángel: A message to other young people? Open your eyes. Don’t be fooled.

Mauri: Yeah. Don’t believe what they put out on the major news media. Get
motivated. Pick up a microphone. Pick up a camera. Pick up all possible
tools of communication to get out the whole truth and not just part of
it…. We young people are the ones who can change society. We can demand a
lot of things because we’re the ones who are going to be here later on and
we’re going to suffer the consequences of all the bad things that are
being done right now… There’ve been a lot of changes here in the
community. I feel safer now, because in the past, even the policemen
themselves were corrupt. There was no security at all. There was no trust…
But now a lot of people think different, and with this movement the whole
community has gotten organized and protected each other. Now I feel safer
and really happy because I belong to Radio Fogata and I’ve been able to
express myself.

Ángel: Before April 15, there was a lot of talk about the problem of our
trees being cut down and people felt really bad, but because of the fear
of so many things like forced disappearances and shootouts, nobody wanted
to stand up and say, ‘No. Stop. This is mine. You have no business here.
You’re not part of this community.’ People really wanted to do something,
but fear stopped us until that day when we saw the chance to rise up and
kick those people out who were robbing our wood, our trees.

Mauri: The problem that made people decide to rise up had existed for a
long time, two or three years before April 15. And because we were afraid
those people were going to do something to us, nobody did anything until
then. In reality, people began to get organized on April 14, then the next
day they decided to meet those people with sticks, stones, bottles full of
gravel and gasoline with a piece of flannel stuck in them. People were
tired of seeing those trucks come down loaded with wood ––not 2 or 3, but
20 or 25. So when the community was getting better organized, people
decided to meet them on their own terms. It was ugly. I’ve never forgotten
and I’ll never forget the women screaming and children crying. The church
bells were ringing and ringing. There was a lot of fear. You wanted to go
out and stop those people who had done so much harm to our forest anyway
you could, with gunfire or stones. The deep-seated anger against them was
really ugly. People were able to capture several of them. And that’s how
our movement began. That’s how more movement got started here in the
community towards more organization, and we were finally able to set up
our own government.

Ángel: That day I felt really frightened because my school is right there
on the road out of the community…I saw one of those 4-wheel drive trucks
piled high with people trying to get away. There were a lot of students
out there. A disaster. The teachers were really concerned. I felt like
running out and doing something, but then that fear come over you. You ask
yourself: What do I do now?

Mauri: People got fed up. And since the government didn’t want to do
anything against them, the community decided that we ourselves had to stop
them. That’s how it happened. There was no strategy or anything like that.
Just rage. Since the clear-cutters were armed, people were afraid of
getting shot down ––up until that day when they hid behind bushes and on
street corners and lay in wait for them. One community person did get shot
in the eye and ended up in a wheelchair, but he was brave enough to do
something for his community, so he must feel good about that.

Mauri: [The process of organization] was a long one. That day after
running them out of town, even though people might have wanted to get
together and get better organized, there was still a lot of fear. Cherán
was a ghost town for months, maybe three months, where hardly anybody
dared go out in the streets, not even the dogs…. But at night, groups of
people went out to protect people, made up of maybe 30 people who lived on
the same block, 10 at a time while the others rested. That’s the way
people gradually got organized and the community began to recover. The
barricades are still there, but the campfires are not. Things have gotten
back to normal. We have our community police and good organization.

Ángel: [We began to talk about autonomy] when people realized the
government wasn’t going to do anything, mainly because of one of the
political parties.… But we didn’t want to go on that way. We were tired of
all the lies, so much talk and no action. And that was one of the main
reasons we decided to govern ourselves. Now people are chosen to serve on
a council not because they are popular, but because of their character,
their values, their knowledge, which may come from schooling or from life
experience. There’s a lot more trust in them and I think they’re going to
do a much better job than the political parties.

Mauri: The political parties don’t do anything right. It’s better to have
organization like we have now here in the community and choose our own
self-government without the involvement of any political party. They don’t
do a thing for the community, only for themselves.

Ángel: The radio workshop was held three months after the confrontation
when everything had calmed down. A concert was planned and one workshop
participant said, ‘I’ll get you a transmitter and if we can’t get hold of
one, we’ll make some radio speakers. We can have an event to talk about
what’s happened since the very first day up until now”. Then some people
from his collective helped us do our first broadcast and encouraged us to
set up our own radio.

Mauri: Our friend at Radio Vecindad really supported us. She loaned us her
tape recorder and suggested that we go out to the campfires to interview
people so we’d have material to broadcast over the radio. And with her
tape recorder, we began to ask people about the uprising that happened
here and about what they had against the previous government –– the lack
of security, the overprotection of the clear-cutters. As a matter of fact,
in YouTube there are videos of their communities. If you type in
‘Capacuaro’, you’ll see videos that they themselves made, showing how they
cut down the pine trees. And they show newscasts making fun of our
community and our government. They’re not interested in how people got
organized and stopped the destruction of the forests. They’re protected by
the government.

Ángel: Thank you for visiting us. I hope people who hear about all this
will want to do something for our environment, for our society so we won’t
keep on falling into the traps of the self-serving political parties.

Mauri: We’re not making up stories. We’ve talked about things happening in
our communities. We urge people to get organized and put an end to
injustice.


cheran-autonomia_5cheran-autonomia_4cheran-autonomia_6

cheran-autonomia_10cheran-autonomia_7cheran-autonomia_11cheran-autonomia_9cheran-autonomia_12cheran-autonomia_8