Saludos Compañerxs,
From the CASA collectives in Chiapas and Oaxaca, Mexico
As we are welcoming new members to the board, these past weeks we have been engaged in deep discussions as to the nature and future of the collectives in Chiapas and Oaxaca, as well as the nature of our work in the U.S. We look forward to continuing these discussions and hope to keep moving forward in efforts to support autonomous community struggles across borders, bringing together diverse resistances in order to better understand the global systems affecting our lives and to continue struggling for a new world - one in which many worlds fit.
In Oaxaca, the APPO continues to reorganize and, despite continued repression, just carried out the 10th Megamarch to commemorate International Women´s Day (Read more: english / spanish). In addition to its political reorganization, popular art collectives like ASAR-O have increased their efforts to open spaces for art that is truly the voice of the people - read their statement about revolutionary art (english / spanish). In addition, as past human rights delegations are gathering and translating testimonies in order to publish their final reports in as many languages as possible, another human rights delegation is being planned for later this month, and all those interested in participating are encouraged to contact the organizers listed on the page. Further information on Oaxaca can be found on our site in the Oaxaca Resiste section.
Tensions continue to increase in Chiapas on all fronts, as the anti-narco and anti-migrant police and army operatives move into Chiapas. Amidst all of this, the Popular Assembly of the People of Chiapas (APPCH) has continued its organization with a National Forum for the Freedom of Political Prisoners. Preparations have been happening for these past weeks in preparation for the Independent Women's Movement (MIM, by its spanish initials) march and conference scheduled for International Women's Day and the following weekend.
Zapatista support bases in the valleys south of Ocosingo, stretching into the Lacandon Jungle have also come under severe threats as of late by paramilitary groups such as OPDDIC, now apparantly supported by state governor Juan Sabines and the Secretary of Land Reform, and the following communiqués have been released this past month:
And bringing it back across the border, there have been increased aggressions against migrants in Arriaga, Chiapas this past February 9th as well as an explosion of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a division of the Department of Homeland Security) raids throughout the U.S. Read a reflection by former field-coordinator Melissa Mundt about the frustrations of migrant defense work in DHS detention centers in Arizona to bring it a bit closer to home.
We wish everyone the best, and encourage any and everyone to contact us with writings, questions and insights as to how these issues are playing out at home, we would love to increase our base of web-contributors to include struggles from Mexico, the U.S. and the world.
peace,
the CASA collectives
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