Oaxacan anarchists and libertarians arrested as they march in solidarity with Gaza.

Here it is in English:

Alert: mass arrests in Oaxaca

At noon today, Saturday January 3, 2009, more than 20 comrades were
arrested in a peaceful march to the United States Consulate in Oaxaca,
in repudiation of the genocide perpetrated by Israel against the
Palestinian people.

According to information received, the arrests occurred as demonstrators
were en route to the Consulate, located in the Santo Domingo de Guzmán
area of the city of Oaxaca. Without mincing words, the police forces
attacked them with extreme violence that was totally unjustified when
the march had barely begun.

At first, those arrested were taken to the Metropolitana, and it would
seem that they were later transferred to San Bartolo Teontepec. Among
those arrested are: Alebrije, Chucho, Cosme, Monty, Emo, Lallanta, Gabi,
and two comrades from Chiapas whose names we don’t yet know. We’re still
waiting to receive the complete list of the people arrested.

The undersigned collectives and spaces fear for the treatment that our
comrades are now receiving and state that the politician ultimately
responsible for these arrests, as well as any act of sexual torture or
attempt against the physical and psychic integrity that these comrades
may be subjected to, is Ulises Ruiz Ortiz.

We call on all social organizations, news media, and the peoples of
Oaxaca, México, and the national and international civil society to stay
on the alert for incoming news and to act so that the impunity that
enjoyed by the government will not be silenced, demanding the immediate
and unconditional release of all people arrested.

Immediate and unconditional freedom for the people arrested outside the
United States Consulate in Oaxaca

Freedom for all political prisoners of Oaxaca, México and the world

And end to Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people

An end to the invasion of Gaza. Israeli army out of Palestine

Undersigned collectives and spaces:
• VOCAL,
• Tod@s Somos Pres@s,
• CASOTA,
• Brigadas 94,
• Dignidad Rebelde,
• Colectivo La Voz del Cenzotle.

In the latest of a string of intimidations and attacks, an attempt is made on the life of the libertarian activist and former APPO Councillor RUBÉN VALENCIA NUÑEZ.

Oaxaca of Magon
City of Resistance
Saturday 10th January 2009-01-11

Urgent Action: ATTEMPTED MURDER OF COMRADE RUBÉN VALENCIA NÚÑEZ

We wish to denounce the intimidatory actions that have endangered the life of our comrade in the popular movement in Oaxaca

FACTS:
Tonight, Saturday 10th January at approximately 10:57 at night, our comrade RUBÉN VALENCIA NUÑEZ and another person were walking on the street Porfirio Díaz, headed for the politico-cultural space ‘CASOTA’, found at 408 Crespo, in the centre of the city of Oaxaca. A number of persons (aprroxiamtely 3), on board a moving vehicle, colour electric blue and apparently a Peugeot began to shout insults. One of them shouted “Fucking APPO” in the direction of comrade RUBÈN., amongst other things. One then attempted to exit the vehicle but was dissuaded by the others not to do so before the vehicle continued on, stopping about a block away.

Faced with this situation, the comrades continued walking and took refuge in a café on that same street. Only five minutes after arriving and whilst comrade RUBÉN VALENCIA NUÑEZ was in the bathroom washing his hands, the same person who had shouted at him in the street entered the premises full of people, and installed himself next to the bathroom with our comrade inside it. Without any exchange of words he produced a sharp, stabbing weapon and between pushes and shoves, aimed three blows at our comrade at the level of his neck, nape and head, causing three wounds. At this time the comrade only felt the blows (not realising they were wounds) as due to the pushing he had exited the bathroom area with the aggressor. During the confusion a waiter was caught up and was wounded in the neck by the same weapon.

The attacker, approximately 28, robust and with short hair (of the style common to the ministerial or judicial Police) remained blatantly barefaced in the place for several seconds more before later retreating, leaving behind the weapon. It was at this point that our comrade became aware of his injuries due to the blood that was quickly staining his clothes.

The comrade was taken to hospital to be attended to and is now out of danger. The wounds were: one cut, approximately 3.5cm long and 1cm deep at the nape of his neck. Another, approximately 3cm long and 1cm deep also in the neck, damage from a blow to the head and a scratch from the left eye to the ear, along with other scratches from the same weapon. Six stitches were needed in each wound and it must be noted that one wound was only 1cm from the jugular vein, which would have had fatal consequences had it reached it. The waiter was admitted with a neck wound by the same weapon, at to which we are unaware of the gravity.

We firmly denounce the acts as part of a strategy of repression and violence orchestrated by the government of the state of Oaxaca, but carried out through parapolice groups or civilians in the service of that same state. For this we denounce to the entire world the possibility of the initiation of a selective repression, in the style of the dirty war suffered by the social movements of this country thirty years ago. The aggression suffered at this moment by comrade RUBEN comes at the head of a string of aggressions, intimidations and detentions against different comrades in the social movement over recent months, and whilst none of which have been successful, demonstrate the authoritarian and illegal acts of the State that continue with this latest aggression, which may signal a new and yet more dangerous type of governmental repression and violence carried out by parapolice, paramilitaries and thugs in the service of the bad government of ULISES RUIS ORTIZ, in the style of a dirty war.

WE DECLARE:
-Our decision to continue on our path of building a different Oaxaca, where those who seek justice for the people are not repressed and where assassins are punished. A Oaxaca in which it is possible to live without fear or repression.
-These acts demonstrate the urgency of the need for change and the necessity to continue forward so that in the future murderers will not govern.

WE DEMAND:
-An end to the criminal strategies of repression and intimidation against the different struggles of the peoples of Oaxaca on the part of the Mexican State and the State Government.
-Respect for the life and peace of each of those comrades of the people of Oaxaca who continue building alternatives, for a just, dignified and free life.
-Punishment of those responsible for this action against comrade RUBÉN VALENCIA NUÑEZ.

We respectfully request that the peoples of Mexico and the World to be attentive of this situation that Could mark the beginning of a strategy of Dirty or Low-Intensity Warfare against the legitimate movement of the peoples of Oaxaca.

FRATERNALLY,

VOCAL (Oaxacan Voices Constructing Autonomy and Liberty)
CASOTA (Oaxacan House of Solidarity and Self-Sustaining Work)
University of the Earth-Oaxaca
Diploma of Barefoot Investigators.