Zapatista rebels go on tour

[bemildred]

The Zapatista rebels of Mexico are emerging from their jungle hideout for a six-month campaign tour of the country designed to be an alternative to this year's already contentious presidential race.

The tour begins on New Year's Day - to coincide with the anniversary of a brief Zapatista uprising in the name of Indian rights 12 years ago. This time, however, the Zapatistas are not expected to carry weapons and declare war when they march into San Cristobal.

Subcomandante Marcos, the Zapatista leader, has said he will build a nationalist leftist movement that will "shake this country up from below" during a visit to Mexico's 31 states.

Marcos has promised that the movement will not be violent, saying that he will no longer be a military sub-commander but a civilian known as Delegate Zero.

al Jazeera

[Judi Lynn]

1. It's great seeing this news. The article gives us a clear look

at the fact we've been living with a news black-out on EVERYTHING which could make it appear leftists have any respect anywhere in the world. How many Americans actually know what kind of government Mexico was stuck with for so very, very long? From the article:

When the Zapatistas first stormed San Cristobal on New Year's Day in 1994, they called for equal rights for Mexico's Indian minority and an end to the one-party rule of the Institutional Revolutionary party (PRI), which governed Mexico for most of the 20th century.

After the PRI lost power to Vicente Fox, who was elected president in 2000, the rebels focused on building a network of Zapatista-run schools and medical clinics in dozens of Indian villages they control in Chiapas, Mexico's southernmost state.
(snip/...)

How many Americans have ever even heard of the Zapatistas? Almost none, I'm sure.

You'd think our right-wing brethren and "sistern" would have set up a deadly whine if they knew Mexico had been living under a one-party system all that time: it would have mortified their sense of fair play wouldn't it? Not really.

The coming Presidential election in Mexico is going to be so worth watching, as well as this tour by the Zapatistas.



Subcomandante Marcos. Who knew he has three legs?

Subcomandante Marcos.

[mdelaguna2000]

3. nice fotos (btw)

[mdelaguna2000]

2. viva subcomandante Marcos

... now Delegate Zero? I hadn't known that. Very interesting. I wish this would get some positive (or even neutral) coverage in our own media. Sigh.