EZLN announces new red alert

As of the afternoon of May 3, Subcommandante Marcos of the EZLN (National Zapatista Army of Liberation) announced during a public act in Mexico City a new red alert and closure of Zapatista caracoles and suspension of activities of La Otra Campaña, which has now become a struggle to support the people of Texcoco, who for the past two days have been experiencing severe government repression.

Marcos called for regional coordinators throughout the country of Mexico to organize themselves in solidarity with Texcoco.

Wednesday morning, flower vendors from People in Defense of the Land Front (Frente de Pueblos en Defensa de la Tierra) occupying a space in the Texcoco market were brutally repressed by state police. While defending their space in the market in Mexico state, a 14 year-old boy died and more than forty people were arrested.

“The municipal president wants to evict these people because he thinks their market leaves the area dirty and he wants to put a commercial center, a Wal-mart in Texcoco,” Marcos said before thousands of people during a public rally in Tlatelolco.

The peasant flower venders have been resisting eviction for weeks. The area they use has been eyed by local authorities for a new commercial center. As part of the People in Defense of the Land, the flower venders have been joined by people in struggle from Atenco, a municipal adjacent to Texcoco . In 2002, the people of Atenco successfully resisted the construction of a national airport on their land with machetes and popular organization.

America del Valle a member of People in Defense of the Land spoke before the crowd.
“The reason of this aggression is something that they repeat every day; it is for the crime of reclaiming one piece of land to sell products that we produce from our land: nopales, verduras, flowers,” she said.

She announced the demands of the movement: liberation of arrested individuals and return of the market space.

“We will see who is really with la Otra. Here we will see if this is true of la Otra; if it is not only speeches but if its solidarity and urgent action.”

Marcos announced meetings after the rally to coordinate actions for Thursday, which will begin at 8 a.m.

“The Zapatistas are, today, Texcoco. We are going to be alert to their demands.
Closure of streets, highways, flyering, painting, protests. We respect their decisions, we will arrive to where they tell us to go,” Marcos said.

Contact your local Mexican consulate and demand justice for the people of Texcoco:
http://www.travelguru.net/html/consulates/mexico.html

for more information on Atenco:

http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/mexico/comment/airportAUG02.html
http://www.nadir.org/nadir/initiativ/agp/free/mexico/2002/0713groups_protest.htm