Minneapolis, MN – Around 40 people marched in Minneapolis on Jan. 26 to mark the date 16 months ago when 43 student activists were forcibly disappeared from Ayotzinapa, México. The marchers demanded that the Mexican government account for the still-missing students, echoing the demand of the families of the 43 students in México. The students were last seen when police detained them in Iguala, México in September 2014. The Mexican government still has not provided a credible explanation of what happened to them or where they are.

At the Minneapolis march, the lead banner read, “Vivos se los llevaron, vivos los queremos” (they took them alive, we want them back alive!), with images of the 43 missing students. Other banners said “Minnesota is Ayotzinapa,” and “Ayotzinapa’s disappearances are a shared responsibility of the Mexican and U.S. governments, through the U.S.-funded $2.1 billion genocidal drug war in México.”

The Minneapolis march began at Bloomington Avenue and Lake Street in front of Mercado Central. The marchers occupied both westbound lanes of traffic on Lake Street, marching to the statue of Mexican revolutionary General Emiliano Zapata in Plaza Centenario. Along the way they chanted “¡Ayotzinapa vive – la lucha sigue!” (Ayotzinapa lives – the struggle continues!).

At the Zapata statue the protesters called out the names of all 43 missing students, as well as several people who have been assassinated by the Mexican government, and responded after each name with a shout of “¡Presente!” The march then went east on Lake Street and ended at Walker Church with speakers expressing the importance of continuing the struggle to end state repression and impunity in México, which is financed and politically backed by the U.S. government.

The 43 missing students are just the tip of the iceberg of thousands of disappearances and killings in México in recent years as the Mexican government, police, military, narcotrafficking cartels and paramilitary formations are increasingly intertwined. The U.S. government continues to turn a blind eye and has continued plowing money into the Mexican government to the tune of over $2 billion just with the Merida Initiative since 2008. The U.S. continues to support the Mexican government despite its dubious human rights situation because it dutifully carries out a policy of austerity and privatization of state resources that benefits U.S. and multinational corporations.

The Jan. 26 march in Minneapolis was initiated by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), an activist organization fighting for immigrant rights and equality in Minnesota. MIRAC also struggles against the injustices that force many people to migrate, such as the government repression faced by the students in Ayotzinapa.

#MinneapolisMN #Ayotzinapa #Missing43Students

Oscar Hernandez, a Y.E.S member at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, stated, “We can't forget that the U.S. government supplies the Mexican government with weapons and military training. In turn, Mexican police and military use those weapons to repress students, workers and unions.”

The vigil and march began at Walker Square Park, located on the southside of Milwaukee. Students from both universities were attendance along with community members to stand in solidarity with those seeking a response.

Tyler Evans, a Y.E.S member from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said of the vigil, “It was uplifting to see so many community members show up and speak out against government repression. We need more of this kind of international solidarity.”

#MilwaukeeWI #ImmigrantRights #InJusticeSystem #Mexico #YouthEmpoweredInTheStruggle #PoliticalRepression #Ayotzinapa #Americas

Tampa, FL – On Sept. 26, Raices en Tampa hosted a vigil and rally on the anniversary on the kidnapping and disappearance of 43 Mexican students. Approximately 20 activists gathered holding signs that read, “Activism is not a crime!” and “They thought they could bury us, but they didn’t realize that we were seeds.”

On Sept. 26, 2014, 43 students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers' College went missing in Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico. The students were on their way to a protest. Sometime during the trip, local police intercepted them and kidnapped them. A year later, the families of the 43 students and Mexican activists demand that the culprits be brought to justice.

The rally was led by Daisy Garcia, who gave a background on what occurred a year ago. She spoke about the importance of the event, “It is important to understand that the 43 students were more than activists, they were students, sons, brothers, they were loved ones. The injustice caused by those that wanted to silence these 43 activists also destroyed many families, but it backfired on them because now we have all united to make their voice stronger than ever. We are here to remember those 43 students and salute them for their struggle and demand that justice be served! We are all Ayotzinapa!”

Garcia introduced speakers from Tampa Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Tampa Committee to Stop FBI Repression, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), and Raices en Tampa. In between speeches she led chants such as, “When activists are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!”

Chrisley Carpio, a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Students for a Democratic Society, spoke about how the U.S. oppresses Mexico. Carpio stated, “To show solidarity for the Ayotzinapa 43 and the Mexican people -what does this really mean for us, for FRSO, as Communists in the U.S.? We see our own imperialist government that helps create militarized walls, whether on the Mexican border or within Palestine, that drives indigenous people from their lands and into oblivion, to make way for Coca-Colas, Walmarts and SodaStreams. We can talk about holding people accountable, we can talk about decolonizing land, we can even talk about breaking down walls and ending inequality. But it is through revolution that the people of Mexico, the peoples of the U.S. and Aztlan, and the oppressed peoples of the world become free.”

The rally ended with a round of chants and with the attendees remembering the struggle that the Ayotzinapa students waged.

Alicia Gazga, an organizer with Raices en Tampa, summed up the rally, stating, “As Raices in Tampa it was very important to us to show solidarity with Ayotzinapa and also with all the other thousands of people that disappear each year. It is not only happening in Mexico but also in my country Honduras where activists are killed all the time because of them trying to expose the government.”

Raices en Tampa will continue organizing the Tampa community to win drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants and will be hosting more events in the near future.

#TampaFL #ImmigrantRights #InJusticeSystem #Mexico #PoliticalRepression #RaicesEnTampa #Ayotzinapa #Americas

Minneapolis, MN – Forty students and community members gathered in front of Coffman Student Union at the University of Minnesota, Sept. 25, to mark one year since 43 Mexican student activists from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers College in Guerrero, México were forcibly disappeared at the hands of the Mexican government. A year later the students still have not been located.

The protesters at the University of Minnesota held posters with the names and pictures of the 43 disappeared Mexican students. As the emcee called out each missing student’s name, the protesters responded with a strong chant of “¡Presente!” The vigil was organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC).

The Mexican government has still not carried out a credible investigation of what happened to the Ayotzinapa students. Their disappearance is not an isolated incident, just one particularly egregious example of thousands of such disappearances and brutal murders carried out with impunity in recent years in México. The rallying cry of the Ayotzinapa students’ families and the huge movement in Mexico and around the world supporting them is “Fue el estado!” (“It was the state!”), clearly putting the blame on the Mexican government’s corruption and impunity.

A statement read at the vigil called for an end to U.S. military aid to Mexico while the Mexican government flagrantly violates the rights of the Mexican people with impunity. The U.S. government is not a passive bystander to the systemic violence and corruption in Mexico, but rather provides institutional support for it. Washington has given massive funding – around $2.5 billion – to México through the Merida Initiative during the Obama administration. Washington also strongly backs right-wing Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto’s efforts to privatize key sectors of the Mexican economy in the interest of multinational corporations and against the interests of the Mexican people, refusing to hold the Mexican president accountable for crimes committed against the people by the government, police and military.

#MinneapolisMN #Mexico #PeoplesStruggles #Ayotzinapa #Missing43Students #Americas

Minneapolis, MN – Con mantas diciendo “Minnesota es Ayotzinapa” y “Vivos se los llevaron, vivos los queremos”, varios líderes y miembros del Comité por los Derechos de los Inmigrantes (MIRAC) marcharon en el desfile del Día de Independencia de México el 13 de septiembre en la calle Lake en Minneapolis. El 26 de septiembre 2014, 43 estudiantes de Ayotzinapa fueron desaparecidos por el estado mexicano. Esto provocó un movimiento poderoso en México y a través del mundo exigiendo un alto a la represión, la violencia estatal, la corrupción y la impunidad en México. También en Estados Unidos muchos cuestionan porque el gobierno estadounidense sigue apoyando el gobierno y ejército mexicano con $2.5 mil millones de dolares con la Iniciativa Merida. Después de casi un año las familias de los estudiantes siguen luchando por la verdad de lo que paso con sus hijos, y no han logrado respuestas o justicia.

En México muchos están planificando protestas y un boicot contra las celebraciones del Día de Independencia porque dicen que no hay verdadera independencia en un México controlado por intereses financieras poderosas al norte y no hay nada que celebrar en un país donde 43 estudiantes pueden ser desaparecidos por el estado con impunidad. En varias ciudades en los Estados Unidos hay desfiles para también celebrar el Dia de Independencia de México, y en muchos de estos desfiles han marchado grupos exigiendo justicia para los 43 estudiantes de Ayotzinapa.

En Minneapolis marcharon por Ayotzinapa en el desfile y también intentaron pedir al cónsul mexicano Alberto Fierro a que anunciara un minuto de silencio desde la tarima para los 43 estudiantes desaparecidos pero él negó hacerlo. Entonces pidieron al Maestro Mingo que lo hiciera porque él fue uno de los organizadores del desfile y del grito y también rehusó.

En Minneapolis hay dos actividades más planificadas para marcar un año desde la desaparición de los 43 estudiantes y para seguir exigiendo justicia. Los estudiantes de la Universidad de Minnesota de MIRAC van a organizar una acción el 25 de septiembre a las 12:00 pm para mostrar solidaridad entre los estudiantes estadounidenses y los estudiantes de Ayotzinapa y el pueblo de México. Próximamente se les darán los detalles de esta actividad muy pronto. Y El Frente Unido MN Ayotzinapa está también organizando una vigilia frente al consulado mexicano en San Pablo el sabado 26 de septiembre a las 8:00 p.m.

El papel de Washington en Mexico

El gobierno estadounidense no es un observador inocente cuando el gobierno de México comete abusos de derechos humanos sistemáticos como lo de Ayotzinapa, lo cual es un sólo ejemplo de muchos casos más. Washington es el poder detrás del escenario financiando y dirigiendo la política militar y económica en México. Washington ha gastado más de $2.5 mil millones de dolares en ayuda militar en México desde el 2008 a través de la Iniciativa Mérida. También ha sido la fuerza clave respaldando el actual gobierno mexicano en su intento de privatizar industrias como el petroleo, la energia y la educación. La represión y la impunidad en México no son aisladas de esa agenda económica de Washington en México. Al contrario, la ayuda masiva militar precisamente intenta atemorizar la población para no resistir las políticas regresivas como las privatizaciones de industrias claves, las cuales serían vendidos a corporaciones en los mismos países ricos como los Estados Unidos.

#MinneapolisMN #ImmigrantRights #Mexico #MIRAc #Ayotzinapa #Americas

Minneapolis, MN – With banners reading, “Minnesota is Ayotzinapa,” and “They took them alive, we want them alive,” members of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) marched in the Mexican Independence Day parade on Lake Street in Minneapolis on Sept. 13. Last year on Sept. 26, 2014, 43 students from Ayotzinapa, México were ‘disappeared’ by the Mexican state. Nearly a year after the 43 students disappeared, their families continue struggling for the truth of what happened to their children, and they haven’t gotten a response or justice.

This provoked a powerful movement in México and throughout the world demanding an end to repression, state violence, corruption and impunity in México. Also, here in the U.S., many question why the U.S. government continues supporting the Mexican government and military with $2.5 billion through the Merida Initiative.

In México, protests and boycotts were planned against the Mexican Independence Day celebrations. Protesters say there isn’t true independence to celebrate when México is controlled by powerful financial interests in the U.S. and there’s nothing to celebrate when 43 students can be disappeared by the state with impunity. In many cities in the U.S. there are Mexican Independence Day parades and celebrations, and in many of these events groups have marched to demand justice for the 43 missing students from Ayotzinapa.

In Minneapolis the contingent marched for Ayotzinapa in the parade and also tried to get the ambassador from the local Mexican consulate, Alberto Fierro, to announce a minute of silence from the stage for Ayotzinapa, but he refused to do so. They then asked one of the parade organizers, Maestro Mingo, to do so and he also refused.

In Minneapolis there are two more activities planned to mark a year since the 43 students disappeared and to continue demanding justice. Students from MIRAC at the University of Minnesota are organizing an action on Sept. 25 at 12:00 noon to show solidarity with the students from Ayotzinapa and the Mexican people. More details about this action will be available soon. Also, the MN Ayotzinapa United Front is also organizing a vigil in front of the Mexican consulate in Saint Paul on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 8:00 p.m.

The role of Washington D.C. in México

The U.S. government is not an innocent observer when the Mexican government commits systematic human rights abuses like in Ayotzinapa, which is just the tip of the iceberg. Washington is the behind-the-scenes power financing and directing the military and economic policies in México. Washington has spent $2.5 billion in military aid in México since 2008 via the Merida Initiative. The U.S. has also been the key force backing the current Mexican government’s attempts to privatize massive sectors such as petroleum, energy and education. The repression and impunity in México aren’t separate from Washington’s economic agenda in México. On the contrary, the massive military aid precisely serves to instill fear in the population so they don’t resist the regressive policies like privatization of key industries, which are then sold to corporations based in rich countries such as the U.S.

#MinneapolisMN #ImmigrantRights #Mexico #MIRAc #Ayotzinapa #Americas

Milwaukee, WI – The case of the forced disappearance of 43 Ayotzinapa students in Iguala, Mexico continues to draw immense support from communities across the nation, including Milwaukee, where over 150 students and community members participated in the Caravana 43 event on the UW-Milwaukee’s campus April 2.

The Caravana 43, a caravan named after the number of disappeared students, is composed of family members and fellow Ayotzinapa comrades who are touring the U.S. to share the truth about the incidents that occurred in Mexico the night of Sept. 26, 2014, as well as other issues affecting Mexican communities internationally.

The Caravana delegation brought the mother and uncle of two of the 43 disappeared and a fellow student who survived the night that Iguala police cowardly attacked the Normalistas (rural student teachers). The panel discussion shed light on the Ayotzinapa incidents as well as on what could be considered the roots of the problem.

U.S. foreign policy was discussed throughout the program. The panelists discussed the importance of speaking about the Merida Initiative, as it has contributed to the violence now widely spread in Mexico. The Merida Initiative is a bilateral economic agreement between the U.S. and Mexico that pours millions of dollars per year into the Mexican state to 'combat' organized crime and criminal organizations. The initiative also sends U.S. arms into Mexico.

According to the delegation, the more the U.S. supplies the Mexican government, the more they help the drug cartels, as they are the ones that in part enjoy the benefits of the Merida Initiative. They also expressed anger with this policy and the overall U.S. backed neo-liberal efforts, such as NAFTA, which has further marginalized poor and indigenous communities, has spread more violence to Mexican communities, and has expanded the cartels.

The delegation asked the audience to call and write letters to members of congress demanding the U.S. end aid to Mexico through the Merida Initiative.

According to the panelists, this is not the first time the Mexican government has carried out large scale attacks on students. These events have continuously occurred and have been covered up by Mexican authorities. The most infamous precedent is the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre, the event which the Normalistas were preparing to commemorate before their 2014 disappearance.

The Caravana delegation expressed frustration with the Mexican authorities for their lack of cooperation with the families of the 43. According to the delegation, the Mexican state has denied reports to the families, including reports on telecommunications and forensics.

The Mexican state has stated that they have found the bodies of 28 of the disappeared in a mass grave, which was proven false by outside forensic teams. The surviving Normalista, Omar Garcia, stated, the government offered the families “chicken and cow bones” claiming that they were remnants of the 43.

“It opened my eyes and exposed me to the truth,” said Eric Corona, who attended the Caravan event. “Hearing the atrocities happening to students like me in Mexico gave me goose bumps,” said Yoselin Colorado, who attended the panel as well.

The panelists asked the public to look for alternative modes of obtaining news. They asked the public to stop watching Televisa and TV Azteca as these mainstream news sources are bought by the Mexican state and only misinform the people about what is occurring with the Ayotzinapa case.

The Caravana 43 delegation closed by stating, “We must stand our ground and not give up,” and “We must lose fear to be strong.” As a final request, they asked the public to continue spreading the word about Ayotzinapa as well as participate in international solidarity actions happening the 26th of every month.

The event was organized by Youth Empowered in the Struggle-UWM in collaboration with Voces de la Frontera and Caravana 43.

Vivos se los llevaron, vivos los queremos!

#MilwaukeeWI #Mexico #VocesDeLaFrontera #Ayotzinapa #Caravana43 #YouthEmpoweredInTheStruggleUWM #Americas

Minneapolis, MN – About 40 people came together here, March 8, to celebrate International Women’s Day. The program included speakers from the trade union, welfare rights, student and anti-war movements.

Stephanie Taylor of Freedom Road Socialist Organization told the crowd, “We are all here today to celebrate International Women’s Day – a day when, across the globe, people stand up to recognize the struggles of women everywhere. Women have been and always will be leaders and fighters in the struggle for justice. We are here not just to celebrate the victories of women so far, but to anticipate all our struggles to come as we fight for our own liberation and for a better world.”

Taylor also spoke of the case of Rasmea Odeh, stating, “I wanted to take a moment to focus attention on Rasmea Odeh, a Palestinian American who is facing the danger of up to 10 years in prison and deportation at her March 12 sentencing hearing in Detroit. Rasmea Odeh should be seen as an example to everyone fighting for equality and liberation.”

Delfina Rojas, who works with the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAc) and other community organizations, spoke about the struggle of immigrant women for equality, against domestic violence and for an end to deportations.

To finish out the program, Angie Citlali performed a powerful song dedicated to the 43 Mexican student activists from the Ayotzinapa rural teachers college who were disappeared and almost surely massacred by the Mexican state last September. The song makes connections between students here in the U.S. and in México.

#MinneapolisMN #PeoplesStruggles #InternationalWomensDay #MinnesotaImmigrantRightsActionCoalitionMIRAc #RasmeaOdeh #Ayotzinapa

Milwaukee, WI – On Dec. 18, nearly 100 people gathered at a local art studio on the South Side of Milwaukee for a fundraiser dedicated to the ongoing struggle of the Mexican masses against their corrupt government. With $5 admission at the door, all money raised was donated directly to the Comité de Padres de los Desaparecidos, an organization established by the parents of the 43 students from Iguala, Guerrero whose kidnapping and disappearance sparked the powerful mass movement that is gaining strength across México.

Since the disappearance of the 43 students, Milwaukee’s Mexican community has been moved and outraged by the repression occurring in their home country. The week of the disappearance, members of Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES) organized a candlelit vigil attended by dozens of people. Similar vigils and rallies have followed across the city, as the movement against the Peña Nieto government gathered steam. This fundraiser, organized by members of YES and allies in the community, brought together those forces in Milwaukee that have stood up with the people of México.

While the event had a somber tone as the 43 revolutionary students who had been taken from their families were remembered, there was also an air of festivity as the community gathered together. Local artists auctioned off paintings, the mariachi group Rondalla Voces y Guitarras de Milwaukee played for the audience, and Mexican restaurants along with the Riverwest Co-Op donated food for the attendees.

“The fundraiser was a huge success,” said Valeria Gonzalez, one of the event’s organizers. “We raised over $800 and we brought together many community members throughout Milwaukee who really care for our brothers and sisters in México. At this event, we showed the true value of solidarity — not just with money, but with the powerful conversations and the presence of caring people in our community.”

A series of speakers included labor activist and former candidate for Milwaukee County sheriff Angela Walker, event organizer Jorge Maya, and YES member Luscely Flores. Also in attendance were organizations in the city that have supported the struggle against the Peña Nieto government, including Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and Workers World Party.

“I spoke tonight as a member of the Mexican immigrant community, as a student, as a worker and as a member of FRSO,” said Luis Gonzalez, who spoke for his group during the event. “With the Ayotzinapa comrades who lost their lives, a whole country has risen to demand justice. The continuous protests are moving towards ending the ‘War on Drugs’, ending the rule of the PRI and the other main political parties. In the U.S., it is our duty to support our comrades morally and materially and to demand an end to the War on Drugs and the U.S. government’s supply of weapons and training to the Mexican government.”

Based on the response of the community, more fundraisers will be planned for the future.

#MilwaukeeWI #Mexico #solidarity #Ayotzinapa #Americas

Saint Paul, MN – More than 100 people protested in front of the Mexican Consulate on Dec. 3, calling for an end to ‘Plan México’ and all U.S. aid that goes to the Mexican military and police, because of their rampant repression and human rights abuses against the people of Mexico.

The protest was part of a national day of action in at least 43 U.S. cities in response to the September kidnapping and disappearance of 43 Mexican students from the rural teachers college in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero by the Mexican police in collaboration with a local cartel.

Protest organizers used the hashtag #UStired2 (for “U.S. tired too”) as an echo of the hashtag being used by the movement in México: #YaMeCanse (“I’m tired of this”). #YaMeCanse was started after a top Mexican government official said he was tired of all the protests; the movement turned it around to mean that they are tired of the government’s murderous corruption and impunity.

What happened in Ayotzinapa has sent shock waves throughout México as massive militant protests rocked the country. Ayotzinapa is seen by many as the straw that broke the camel’s back after more than 100,000 people have been similarly ‘disappeared’ and killed since 2006 at the hands of the intertwined Mexican police, military and cartels.

Mexico receives large amounts of military aid and political support from Washington, DC. According to local immigration attorney and activist Susana De Leon, “Thousands of the 100,000 dead and 25,000 missing were killed and disappeared by a corrupt Mexican government which is widely acknowledged to be colluding with narcotraffickers. Billions in guns, ammunition and training for police, military and other security forces were paid for with our U.S. tax dollars. #UStired2’s goal is to promote peace by stopping Plan México. A major component of Plan México is Plan Merida, a multi-billion dollar security aid program that President Obama has promised to continue indefinitely.”

The 43 missing students, who studied at Ayotzinapa, a teacher training college in the state of Guerrero, Mexico, went missing on Sept. 26. After taking part in a protest in the city of Iguala, about 120 miles south of Mexico City, the convoy of buses they were travelling home in came under fire from Iguala’s municipal police. Subsequently a series of mass graves has been discovered just outside Iguala, though it’s as yet unconfirmed whether they contain the bodies of the students.

#SaintPaulMN #Mexico #PeoplesStruggles #MN #StPaul #Ayotzinapa #DrugCartels #NationalDayOfAction #Americas

Minneapolis, MN – Students led a march of more than 200 people here Nov. 20 to demand justice for the 43 disappeared student activists from the rural teacher’s college in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero in México. Students came from several area colleges and high schools and many community members marched too.

Braving bitter single-digit temperatures, the marchers started at Augsburg College, marched via the West Bank neighborhood to the University of Minnesota campus, crossed the Washington Avenue bridge over the Mississippi River and ended in front of Coffman Student Union. The marchers’ chants for justice in Spanish rang through the West Bank neighborhood and the U of M campus. At Coffman Union, candles were lit to spell out “México” and “43” while several people spoke about the struggle for justice.

The march in Minneapolis coincided with an international day of action centered in México demanding justice for the 43 students. There were massive protests throughout México and solidarity actions around the world.

The Ayotzinapa students were attacked by police in the town of Iguala on Sept. 26. Three students were killed and 43 others were arrested and turned over by the police to a Mexican drug gang and haven’t been seen since. This is the latest incident in a long pattern of the U.S.-backed Mexican state’s violence and impunity. Protests in México continue to grow, demanding that the 43 students be returned alive and an end to state violence.

#MinneapolisMN #Mexico #PoliticalRepression #Ayotzinapa #Americas

El 20 de noviembre marca el inicio de la revolución mexicana en 1910, la cual llevo al derroque del dictador, apoyado por EU, Porfirio Díaz. Aunque la revolución trajo mejoras como la reforma agraria y la expropiación petrolera, México no se pudo escapar del todo del control económico y político de los Estados Unidos.

La dominación de México por parte de Estados Unidos se intensifico en los ochentas, bajo el sexenio de Miguel de la Madrid, cuando se abrieron las puertas a corporaciones extranjeras, se privatizaron empresas del estado y se recortaron los programas sociales. En los noventas, el Tratado de Libre Comercio de América del Norte (TLC), entre Canadá, Estados Unidos y México incrementó el dominio económico gringo y al mismo tiempo trajo consigo el empobrecimiento de millones de mexicanos, de los cuáles una gran parte decidió emigrar hacia EU en busca de trabajo.

Los años noventa también observó el crecimiento de los cárteles de la droga, los cuales proveían un 90% de la cocaína que se consumía en Estados Unidos. Con el flujo de dinero generado por el mercado de la droga en EU y con la cooperación de los grandes bancos, incluyendo al banco Wachovia, los cárteles de la droga se convirtieron en ley en gran parte del país, corrompiendo a la policía, funcionarios de gobierno y empresarios. En respuesta, el gobierno de los Estados Unidos ha proveído a México con más de 1.5 mil millones de pesos provenientes de la Iniciativa Mérida en apoyo a la guerra contra las drogas que ha dejado un saldo de más de 100 000 mexicanos muertos. Esos cárteles y pandillas se han expandido a los países centro americanos, los cuales han generado las exorbitantes cifras de niños centro americanos y mexicanos que han tenido que escapar la violencia y cruzar la(s) frontera(s) hacia Estados Unidos.

Al mostrar la tan estrecha relación entre el gobierno y los cárteles, los asesinatos y desapariciones de los normalistas de Ayotzinapa han llevado al pueblo de México a por fin levantar la voz. Su lucha en contra del gobierno corrupto de México, respaldado por el de Estados Unidos, es una lucha no sólo por su libertad, pero también es una lucha que beneficia a la clase trabajadora y a las naciones oprimidas en Estados Unidos.

En los diez años entre el 2000 y 2010, corporaciones norte americanas recortaron 4 millones de empleos en EU, y al mismo tiempo generaron 3 millones de empleos fuera del país. La clase trabajadora de EU no se beneficia de las políticas del mercado libre; sólo el 1% y las corporaciones que controla son los ganadores. De la misma forma en que el pueblo de México así como otros países del tercer mundo no se benefician de los trabajos de mano de obra barata que se les hace llegar, estos trabajos solamente benefician a algunos capitalistas como Carlos Slim, dueño de TelMex, quien se mueve entre el primero o el segundo hombre más rico del planeta.

La lucha del pueblo de México también tiene un significado especial para Chicanos y Mexicanos en EU. Después de la guerra entre EU y México en 1845 y la toma de un tercio de las tierras del norte del país, la gente mexicana que ahora vive en el suroeste de EU se consolidó como una nación propia pero no reconocida, la nación chicana. Esta nación e inmigrantes mexicanos tienen fuertes lazos de lenguaje, cultura y familia en México y son una fuente significativa para la lucha en el otro lado de la frontera, y como tal también son inspirados por la lucha librada ahí.

Los editores de Lucha y Resiste hacen un llamado a nuestros lectores a que apoyen la lucha del pueblo mexicano en contra del gobierno corrupto, el crimen organizado, y de las corporaciones gringas que están dejando seco y desechado al país. También les hacemos un llamado a nuestros lectores a que apoyen la lucha que se vive aquí en casa en contra del Imperio Estadounidense luchando por ponerle fin a la ayuda militar que este gobierno envía y a los tratados de libre comercio.

¡Justicia para los normalistas de Ayotzinapa! ¡Abajo el tratado de libre comercio! ¡Estatus de refugiados para los niños mexicanos y centroamericanos que cruzaron la frontera para escapar la violencia!

#Mexico #ChicanoLatino #Ayotzinapa #Americas

Nov. 20 marks the beginning of the Mexican revolution in 1910, which led to the overthrow of the U.S.-backed dictator Porfirio Diaz. While the revolution led to the redistribution of farmland and nationalization of the Mexican oil industry, Mexico was not able to escape economic and political control by the U.S.

U.S. domination of Mexico intensified in the 1980s, when President Miguel de la Madrid opened the door to foreign corporations, sold off state-owned businesses and cut government spending. In the 1990s, the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, between Canada, Mexico and the U.S. increased U.S. economic domination while leading the impoverishment of millions of Mexicans, many of whom left for the U.S. in search of jobs.

The 1990s also saw the growth of Mexican drug cartels, which ended up supplying some 90% of the cocaine consumed in the U.S. Flush with money from the U.S. drug market and the cooperation of large banks, including Wachovia bank in the U.S., the Mexican drug cartels became the law in much of the country, corrupting many police, government officials and businesspeople. In response, the U.S. is providing more than $1.5 billion of military aid under the Merida Initiative in support of the war on drugs that has killed as many as 100,000 Mexicans. The gangs have spread to Central American countries to the south of Mexico, leading the spike in Central American and Mexican children fleeing the violence and crossing the border into the U.S.

By showing the close relationship between the government and drug gangs, the killing and disappearance of the Ayotzinapa Teacher College students have led the people of Mexico to rise up. Their struggle against the corrupt government of Mexico backed by the U.S. is a fight not only for their liberty, but also one that benefits the working class and oppressed nationalities of the U.S.

In the ten years between 2000 and 2010, U.S. corporations cut 4 million jobs in the U.S. while adding 3 million jobs outside the country. The U.S. working class does not benefit from the policies of free trade; only the 1% and the corporations they control are winners. In the same way the people of Mexico and other Third World countries do not benefit from the low wage jobs thrown their way, these jobs only benefit a handful of capitalists like Carlos Slim, owner of Mexico’s telephone company, who is the world’s first or second wealthiest man.

The struggle of the Mexican people also has a special significance for Chicanos and Mexicanos in the U.S. After the U.S. war on Mexico in 1845 and the seizure of the northern one-third of the country, the Mexican people now in the southwest of the U.S. were forged into an oppressed Chicano Nation. This nation and Mexican immigrants across the country have ties of language, culture and family to Mexico and are both a strong source of support for the struggle in Mexico, as well are being inspired by the struggle there.

The editors of Fight Back! urge all of our readers to support the struggle of the people of Mexico against the corrupt government officials, drug gangs and U.S. corporations that are bleeding the country dry. We also call upon our readers to support the struggle against the U.S. empire here at home by fighting for an end to U.S. military aid and U.S. free trade agreements.

Justice for the Ayotzinapa Teacher College students! Down with the North American Free Trade Agreement! Refugee status for Mexicans and Central Americans fleeing violence in their home countries!

#Mexico #ChicanoLatino #Ayotzinapa #Americas

Gainesville, FL – On the evening of Nov. 13, University of Florida (UF) students held a Peoples’ Eulogy for the 43 Mexican students presumably murdered by police and drug gangs who were colluding with local and state politicians. Local police in Iguala, Guerrero, kidnapped the students, now known as the 43, on Sept. 26.

The police chased the students as they fled in buses, shooting and killing some, then handing the others they captured over to a notorious criminal syndicate. According to the Mexican government’s version of events, the criminals murdered the students and attempted to destroy their bodies by burning them. Meanwhile, 14 students who escaped the police attack and the families of the 43 missing students have been demanding to know where the 43 were being held.

A dump of plastic bags of burnt remains was found near a river this month, which Mexican government officials claim are the remains of the 43 students. The families of the 43 refuse to believe the Mexican government and are awaiting forensic tests from outside the country, while continuing to demand that the 43 students be returned alive. Now government officials, on up to President Enrique Peña Nieto, are scrambling to explain the corruption and disappearances.

On the Florida campus, students gathered to humanize and memorialize the 43 Mexican students. Photos of each student’s face were placed along with a candle, in one of the busiest walking areas of campus. UF student activists spoke about the students and the name of each was read aloud. The crowd then held a moment of silence to honor them. Around 35 students attended the event, with others stopping briefly to learn about the 43 Mexican students.

Leah Robbins, of UF Students for a Democratic Society said, “I think it’s our responsibility to combat political repression wherever it manifests itself and to stand in solidarity with those who have been silenced by their governments.”

Another campus leader, Farah Khan of Students for Justice in Palestine commented, “As activists, we felt like we had a duty to honor them; it’s important for us because we are student activists.”

By the afternoon of the next day, though the candles were long burned out, the pictures and signs were still being displayed. Several students stopped to read the names and look at the signs of the Ayotzinapa 43. There are solidarity events happening on many U.S. campuses, as the parents of the murdered students are travelling across Mexico to demand justice.

#GainesvilleFL #Mexico #Americas #Ayotzinapa #Guerrero #KidnappedStudents

Minneapolis, MN – 50 students and community members gathered for a vigil Nov. 11 in solidarity with the 43 disappeared – and likely murdered – Mexican student activists in Ayotzinapa. The vigil was in front of Coffman Student Union at the University of Minnesota (UMN). Students held signs with the names and pictures of each of the 43 missing students, along with a banner that read, “Say no to repression!” in several languages.

Students and community members spoke out against the repression in Ayotzinapa, which is located in the Mexican state of Guerrero. Two speakers were from Guerrero and thanked students for expressing their solidarity. One student sang a song she had just written about Ayotzinapa.

The vigil was in response to the Sept. 23 abduction of 43 Mexican student activists, which has sparked massive outrage and deeply shaken Mexico . Many are referring to this incident as the straw the broke the camel’s back, after more than a decade of growing violence and impunity by the intertwined Mexican government, police and powerful drug cartels. In response to the massive protests, the Mexican government arrested the mayor of Iguala, Guerrero, his wife and some other people. Iguala is where the students went missing.

While thousands of Mexicans have gone missing or been brutally murdered in recent years with impunity, the Mexican federal government was forced to respond to Ayotzinapa because of the mass outrage. The government now claims that the 43 students were brutally murdered by members of a criminal drug cartel after being turned over to them by local police, for unexplained reasons. Families of the students do not trust the claims of the government and are waiting for forensic results from a lab in another country before believing the government’s version of events.

The 43 students from Ayotzinapa, a rural teachers’ college with a strong tradition of leftist activism, were preparing to participate in a commemoration of the 1968 massacre of students at Tlatelolco in Mexico , when they were abducted by police and disappeared. The students have been active in fighting against the privatization of public education in Mexico.

The University of Minnesota vigil was initiated by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee-UMN and was endorsed by Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), La Raza Student Cultural Center, and the Spanish and Portuguese Studies Department.

The Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee distributed a statement urging people to call the Mexican consulate to demand that those responsible for Ayotzinapa be brought to justice, up to the highest levels. The statement also urged people to call the White House to demand that in light of Ayotzinapa and many other such incidents, the Obama administration should treat incoming Mexican and Central American migrants as refugees and should grant them legal protective status.

#MinneapolisMN #ImmigrantRights #StudentMovement #SDS #Mexico #UniversityOfMinnesota #MIRAc #EnriquePenaNieto #PoliticalRepression #Ayotzinapa #Americas

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Legalization for All (L4A) Network. Normalista refers students at a “normal school” or teaching college. Solidarity from the North with the Normalista, rural teachers and students

On the other side of the border, we felt the sadness, the anger and the rage when we heard the news of what had occurred on the weekend of September 26th. We send our most heartfelt condolences to the families of our Normalist comrades who were gunned down by the cowards in uniforms and condolences to those who were kidnapped by the same criminals who gunned down the others.

We are part of the Legalization for All (L4A) Network, which includes young students who ourselves are Mexican immigrants. Here in the country of The North, we have dedicated our lives to social justice, to fight for equality, our human rights, and in the fight to better our living conditions. Because of this we feel the need to stand with and support the young Normalistas and the people of the state of Guerrero as you all fight for your own justice.

Guerrero comrades, know that your compatriots in the U.S. are with you all. While the cowardly attack against our Normalista comrades fills us with sadness and rage, we are also filled with hope as we see the people taking to the streets and that the mobilization of the people is only growing. After all we remember the honorable Guerreran tradition of resistance against the repressive state of Mexico. Your spirit for battle against this tragedy is as inspiring as Lucio Cabañas had coming back to life. The state of Guerrero and your spirit is in our hearts and in The North we support your demands.

It is also important to remember history of the repression against students of Mexico always being supported by the government of the United States. From the massacre of Tlatelolco, of Oct. 2 1968, which recently reached its 46th year anniversary, and Iguala, to today the students have organized themselves to fight against the neo-liberal politics which are now embodied by Mexican President Peña Nieto. The war against drugs in Mexico is also a result of the political relationship between the U.S. and Mexico and we should remember the plan of Mérida, which has been taking the lives of hundreds of thousands (more than 121,000 from 2007 to 2012). The war on drugs and transnational plunder (neo-liberalism) are what primarily causes the massive migration of Mexicans crossing the border in search of a better life.

By this means we would also like to admonish that other pro-immigrant organizations in the U.S. to show their support for the noble fight led by the valiant Normalist students. L4A is in solidarity with the people of Guerrero, may they find true justice. To victory!

#Mexico #ImmigrantRights #PoliticalRepression #LegalizationForAllNetwork #Ayotzinapa #Americas