Zapatista Army of National Liberation

May 3, 2006

Compañeros and Compañeras around the World:

This is Insurgent Lt. Col. Moisés speaking to you,

Today we have entered into a Red Alert.

Our compañeras and compañeros from Texcoco near San Salvador Atenco (State of México) were attacked. This is a place where our compañero Subcomandante Marcos has just visited.

We are calling for a national and international mobilization against the government of Vicente Fox for April 4th beginning at 8 in the morning in front of Mexican embassies.

Up to this point we do not know how many dead and injured there might have been because our brothers and sisters from Atenco were confronted by the forces of the bad government and they defended themselves.

Stay tuned compañeros and compañeras.

We will be in contact when necessary.

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Notimex

19:30 Subcomandante Marcos announced today that he has declared a ‘red alert’ in the Autonomous Municipalities of Chiapas (MAREZ) due to the conflict between peasants and State forces in the State of Mexico, in the center of the country [Salvador Atenco to be exact]

‘We are declaring ourselves on ‘red alert’ said Marcos during a public event in the Plaza of Three Cultures, in Mexico City and he said that, ‘from this moment on an alternative command structure is in place in case anything were to happen to me.’

The Zapatista Leader declared this after learning of clashes today between the community of Salvardor Atenco and police’”clashes that have left 42 people injured, at least three of them critically [as of 20:45 Reforma newspaper had posted that two had in fact died as a result of the attacks]

The Zapatista army of National Liberation, who has received numerous signs of support from the population of San Salvador de Atenco, has for a number of years controlled a series of autonomous municipalities [whose centers] they refer to as Caracoles.

Marcos declared, ‘we are Atencos,’ with reference to the population of Salvador de Atenco which has for the last several years mounted a number of campaigns of resistance [most specifically against a government sponsored airport]

‘From this moment on we are canceling all our scheduled events and we will instead dedicate ourselves, to the extent it is needed, to meeting the needs of the people of Atenco,’ said Marcos, whom after his speech ducked into an apartment in the Tlatelolco area in the northern part of Mexico City.

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Companeros and companeras,

A few moments ago we were watching and listening to the media and the manipulation of what was happening, the informational manipulation about what was occurring [in Atenco]. We listened to the commentators on Television Azteca imploring that law be restored, that the military enter to restore order and end what was taking place there. We also listened to the indignation of the viewers who sent letters to the station stating that the commentators pleading for greater public force were idiots.

Years ago here, in the Plaza of Three Cultures [Tlatelolco] there was a massacre and in response to this the government claimed that the army had been attacked. And much time passed until someone asked what the army had been doing at a student meeting in the first place. And now over those same means of communication, including radio, it does not occur to reporters to ask what the public forces were doing in San Salvador Atenco. And what they were doing there was enforcing this alliance that was made between the PRD and the PRI in order to oust a few flower vendors because the municipal president of Texcoco thinks they deface the city; because he wants to put a shopping center there, a Wal-Mart in Texcoco and the small merchants bother him and because the PRD aligned there with the PRI at the state level and with the PAN at the national level, and now they will have to be accountable for this death.

As the 6th Commission of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, signatory to the Other Campaign, we are asking, soliciting respectfully the regional and sub-regional coordinators throughout the entire country to execute actions and mobilizations in support of the Frente de Los Pueblos en Defensa de La Tierra [Salvador Atenco] beginning at 0800, eight in the morning tomorrow, the fourth of May, 2006.

As the Sixth Commission we are declaring a red alert. The troops of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation have already been declared under red alert and from that point onwards the Caracoles and Autonomous Zapatista Rebel Municipalities will be closed. Beginning at that moment, from that moment on, the new chain of command of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation will be in place. Whatever may happen to me, there is now someone else in place to make decisions. We don’t know about everyone else, but today, we, the Zapatistas, are Atenco!

We are going to be attentive to their demands. We call for the holding of meetings by sector, by region, as you all see fit. As the Sixth Commission we are canceling all of our participation in programmed activities and we are waiting for the cue from the Frente de Los Pueblos en Defensa de La Tierra. If it needs our presence there, we will go there. If not, we will participate directly in the actions that you all program tomorrow beginning at 0800, eight in the morning.

Close the highways, close the streets, fly, paint, whatever occurs to you, in a civil and peaceful manner. Atenco cannot be left all to itself. We will not cease these actions and this situation until the companeros of the Frente de Los Pueblos en Defensa de La Tierra indicate so to us.

We are not going to pay attention to any piece of information that doesn’t arrive directly from them. For us, they, those who comprise the Frente de Los Pueblos en Defensa de La Tierra are the Other campaign in those lands. We will respect their decisions. We will go wherever they tell us to go. They have been clear in their demands: immediate liberation of those detained and total withdrawal of the government forces that are invading their lands.

This is our message companeros and companeras. Not only for the Other Campaign in this Other Mexico, in this Other Mexico City that is rising up. It is our message to the Other Campaign in the entire country. From Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Yucatan, Campeche, until the two Baja Californias, Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon. From the north to the south, from the east to the west so that the Other Campaign echoes in Atenco and let there be justice for those that have fallen!! Thank you companeros, thank you companeras.

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