Yesterday, the state government tried to forcefully establish a local government that had not secured the support of the people, in spite of their having promoted division and the buying of consciences with public monies. Nor could it be accomplished through threats by paramilitaries, soldiers and police officers against the indigenous rebels.
San Andres is one of the hearts of zapatismo. The tzotiles who marched today demonstrated that. In a political act they re-established the autonomia authorities who will be attending to the communities in the recovered offices.
Benjamin, speaking for the reunited peoples, warned: "we want peace, a peace with justice and dignity. We do not want confrontation between brothers, and because of that, if the government returns with their police in order to dislocate us, we will withdraw in order to avoid a confrontation, but we will continue protesting the arbitrary acitons of governor Albores."
"This action was a decision made by the people, and the people are giving possession to the true San Andres authorities again," Jacinto summed up, before noting that the communities would be setting up guards in order to protect the Autonomous Municipality.
The zapatistas made one thing clear during the march: "PRI brothers, you are not our enemy." Later, during a message read at the rally, they added: "what they have done by dislocating the peoples' authorities is a true provocation, if something serious occurs in the municipality, you will be directly responsible, along with the assassin government."
Hundreds of men, women and children from the different communities in the municipality began gathering together this morning at the three access points to this old city. The 13th Infantry Battery withdrew their control point a little later in response to the massive presence of the indigenous.
At noon, in three simultaneous marches, hundreds of indigenous - with their faces covered with scarves and ski-masks - walked through the main roads of the town and headed through the plaza to the municipal building in question.
In the midst of slogans against the presence of the Army and the police, chanting "viva's" to the EZLN and to Subcomandante Marcos, the indigenous formed a single column, filled the plaza and occupied the offices recently used by the PRI council that ordered them to paint the walls.
Next to the municipal president's office, two trucks and a van from the Public Security police remained parked, full of officers from that body, armed with tear gas and R-15 rifles. They found themselves surrounded by hundreds of indigenous who began to demand their withdrawal. The police commander in charge talked with the zapatista representatives, and, in response to pressure from the people, decided to remove themselves at full speed towards the outskirts of town. The euphoric indigenous shouted at them, and some of them threw trash at them. With thunderous applause, the crowd celebrated the symbolic departure of the police.
They then proceeded to occupy the building, and they held a sit-in. "We have come to demonstrate our strong protest and repudiation of the dirty and shameful action of Roberto Albores, the imposed governor of Chiapas, for having dislocated our authorities, democratically elected by the majority," said Benjamin, who was wearing a black woolen ski-mask.
Two authorities, two paths, two realities. The autonomia authorities gave the reunited people possession, and, through security commisisons, that town protected them. In contrast, yesterday the government gave possession to the constitutional government with a smaller group of townspeople and more than 3000 police.
As a poples' revenge, the zapatistas took down the picture of the chiapaneco governor, along with two other former governors, and they broke them and burned them in front of the people. They thus did away with the only government act that the PRI council had performed: hanging the photograph of the interim of the interim governor of Chiapas.
The 12 Autonomous Municipalities of Los Altos region read a message that noted: Albores does not tire of promoting and provoking violence and confrontation in order to spill more indigenous blood in Chiapas. Nonetheless, he is still trying to conceal his crimes and his evilness, speaking of peace and of the well-being of the indigenous peoples."
"In the name of law and order he incarcerates and assassinates indigenous and campesinos, in the name of peace and justice he seeks violence and confrontations among the indigenous," Benjamin read in front of those who were present.
The zapatistas sent a message to Albores, considered by the residents of San Andres to be a "criminal" the bloodiest in the history of Chiapas:" "the just struggle of the indigenous peoples cannot be stopped by the dictatorship and arrogance of an assassin government."
"The indigenous peoples who are conscience and who are willing to struggle are not going to be discouraged or surrender because of threats, and even less by the taking away of a building or by invading a piece of space; because their just struggle is not enclosed by four walls, nor does it have borders, because their cause is justice, liberty, democracy, and peace with justice and liberty."
"Albores is not satisfied with having assassinated dozens of indigenous and hundreds of innocents; if justice existed in Mexico, Albores, like others, would no longer be free, provoking more violence, he should be in jail for the multiple crimes he has committed against the indigenous peoples," Benjamin concluded.
Originally published in Spanish by Enlace Civil A.C. <enlacecivil@laneta.apc.org> _______________________________ Translated by irlandesa Date: Thursday, April 8, 1999 19:30:05 -0500 From: enlacecivil-l@laneta.apc.org DEMONSTRATION OF 3000 INDIGENOUS IN SAN ANDRES 4/8/99 Jesus Ramirez San Andres Sacamach'en, Chiapas.