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| Latin America |
| Leader Says Zapatistas Ready to Fight |
| 2003-07-23 |
| EFL Zapatista rebel leader Subcomandante Marcos has issued a warning that his forces are ready to use violence to defend themselves against paramilitary fighters in southern Chiapas. He’s back! In a strongly worded communique issued Tuesday night, Marcos said the tense climate in Chiapas reminds him of the days leading up to when paramilitary fighters massacred rebel supporters in the rural town of Acteal in December 1997. The mass killing was the worst of a series of bloody clashes between pro- and anti-rebel groups in poor Indian communities across Chiapas since the Zapatistas’ armed uprising in the name of socialism and Indians rights in January 1994. Yup, another rebel leader preaching that matra of socialism. Marcos said dozens of paramilitary fighters supported by different political parties have surrounded Zapatista strongholds in recent days and fired guns in the air. "The environment is very similar to one we saw in the days before the massacre at Acteal where 45 men, women and children were killed with exceptional cruelty by the paramilitaries," the statement said. He went on to say that if attacked, Zapatista fighters would respond with violence of their own, something they didn’t do after the Acteal killings. "It’s an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, but we are ready to take two eyes for every eye and a mouth full of teeth for just one tooth," Marcos said, displaying his touch for irony that has made him a favorite of intellectuals. Intellectuals just love socialists, especially those dashing rural types wearing masks. The letter released Tuesday also said structural changes made during recent months by the Zapatista army and affiliated villages are ready to be made public, without revealing any details of that reorganization. Marcos has not made a public appearance since 2001, communicating instead by letters published completely in the Mexican newspaper La Jornada. Tuesday’s statement came a day after a letter from the ski-mask wearing leader announced a reorganization of the National Zapatista Liberation Army and a complete break with Mexico’s government and political parties. Vicente hasn’t had a very good year. In that statement, Marcos ridiculed the country’s July 6 midterm elections as "the most comical in the history of Mexico," and said the Zapatista army had decided to sever all contact with the political system. President Vicente Fox tried to restart peace talks in 2001 by closing a number of military bases in rebel territory and backing an Indian rights bill championed by the Zapatistas, but Congress passed a watered-down version of the bill, which the Zapatistas unanimously rejected. Even if they had passed it, they would have found a reason to reject it. Marcos drew unusual criticism last year from Mexican leftists and intellectuals after he showed sympathy for a Basque separatist group linked to terrorist attacks. Humm, the Mexican government just bagged a bunch of Basques the other day. In his Monday communique, Marcos cited the Zapatistas’ support for the "political fight of the Basque country," the country of Iraq "and all the fights in rebellion against the power of money." "The aggression against the country of Iraq not only is evidence of the truly destructive mission of globalization but also provoked the largest worldwide repudiation in the history of humanity," the statement said. Oh great, another Iraq supporting, anti-global rebel leader with his own army right in our backyard. Wonder if those Basque boys were training Marcos’s boys on car bombs? And I’ll bet that the Zapatistas aren’t above attacking American targets for a little funding from guys in turbans. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #4 Agree with SM. The Mayans are a strong people with a strong heritage and culture. After 500 years of opression , they are starting to re-assert themselves in Yucatan and Guatamala. I expect great things from them in the next couple of generations, along with the Q'uechua speaking peoples of the Altoplano. |
| Posted by: 11A5S 2003-7-23 7:54:59 PM |
| #3 I dunno, folks, things are a bit more complicated down in Southern Mexico than you might think. I have a friend (who shall remain nameless) who back in the mid 90's got one of those mercinary gigs training a small (but effective) Myan tribal military force in the jungle down there. His impression was that they we're getting ready to defend themselves from the 'Federales, who had done some fairly nasty things down there over the years. Nobody was babeling Marxist propaganda at him, nobody was talking about starting their own country. Just the good old fashioned "stay off of our land - or else!!!" ethic at work. My guess is that 'ol Subcommander Marcos is an American, or has at least been educated here in our country. Judging from his accent, he may very well have been educated in California.... which makes a lot of sense, actually. He's an amusing yet effective fruit basket, but little more. The Mayans are about as "Marxist" as Bill Gates. |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2003-7-23 4:08:17 PM |
| #2 Si, Subcomandante! |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-7-23 2:08:59 PM |
| #1 I bet Zach DeLaRocha will go back down there and start protesting with these jerkwads any day now... |
| Posted by: Raj 2003-7-23 11:43:46 AM |