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Zapatista Red Alert and the Battle for Atenco
by
Peter Bloom | 05.11.2006
Wednesday morning, flower vendors from FPDT (loosely translated as the People's Front for Land Defense) occupying a space in the Texcoco market were brutally repressed by police. As they moved to reoccupy their space in the pre-dawn hours, the 40 flower vendors received back-up from the nearby town of Atenco. Arming themselves with machetes and Molotov cocktails, the vendors were hit with tear gas and batons. While defending their space, a 14 year-old boy died from the impact of tear gas in the chest and more than forty people were arrested. read entire article Donate to support prison solidarity efforts in Atenco | Photos of Other Campaign and Atenco  The police repression of San Salvador Atenco represents a low moment in Mexican politics. Although they have been dragging each other through the mud in advance of July's national elections, the three main political parties (PRD, PRI, PAN), were able to come together, plan and execute a repressive mission against the town of San Salvador Atenco and the FPDT (loosely translated as the People's Front for Land Defense). In reality the Mexican government has been looking for a way to get back at Atenco, especially the FPDT and its leadership, for derailing the most publicly-hyped public works project of the sexenio – the construction of a massive regional airport that would destroy the town – 4 years ago. The government certainly made clear that organized and resistant communities will not be tolerated when on May 3rd and 4th no less than 3,000 militarized police stormed Atenco, rounded up, beat and raped the FPDT leadership, townspeople and activists who resisted in self-defense. Early on May 3rd, while FPDT members were selling flowers down the road from Atenco in Texcoco, the police began their actions by taking the vendors into custody under the pretext that they had no permits to be there. This ignited a fierce resistance and an influx of 500 or so police into Atenco. At around 5:30 PM, rumor circulated that a fourteen year-old Atencan boy was shot dead by the police. The news reached Delegado Zero/Subcomandante Marcos and América del Valle, daughter of FPDT leader Ignacio del Valle, who were participating in an "Other Campaign" event in Mexico City almost immediately. This prompted an impassioned speech by América and the declaration of Red Alert by Marcos. People in attendance were instructed to meet at 8 am the next day and begin non-violent acts of civil disobedience. Immediately following the close of the meeting, many decided to begin the three-hour trip to Atenco. Throughout the night, violence raged in the streets of Atenco as the remaining townspeople and influxes of students and activists were met by massive waves of police, culminating in a final battle in the town's center at dawn. As escaped participants described later on May 4th, those acting in defense of the town were poorly prepared for the enormous number of police. After their Molotov cocktail's and stones were used up, battling activists reached for anything and everything to throw at the advancing phalanxes. Most escaped the square and were hidden by sympathetic residents in the town. As May 4th wore on, the police methodically swept the town and houses for concealed fighters, brutally taking hundreds of prisoners. May 4th saw thousands taking to the streets of Mexico City, Chapingo and other cities and towns to block roads and highways and inform the population of what was really happening in Atenco. |
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