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First results of the Popular Referendum
Zapatista Sixth Commission
Mexico
July 31, 2021.
To the victims and families of victims in Mexico:
To the organizations, groups, collectives and individuals who support the victims:
We present the first results we have received from the Popular Referendum:
1. As of 13:00hrs on July 31, 2021, the twelve Zapatista caracoles and their respective Good Government Councils have received the official decisions of 756 small towns, villages, communities and rancherías [rural farming communities] where the following Mayan languages are spoken: Zoque, Tojolabal, Mam, Tzeltal, Tzotzil and Ch’ol. The decisions come from Zapatistas, CNI communities and partidista [political party-affiliated] communities which came together in “extemporaneous” community assemblies, which is to say that they do not have an official, legal existence.
2. The 756 originary communities have said “YES” in response to the question of whether they agree that whatever is necessary should be done to respect the rights of the victims and their families to truth and justice.
3. What we have noticed up to now is that in many areas, the INE [National Electoral Institute] did not translate the referendum into Mayan languages. The INE did not explain what the referendum is about and in some places it simply dropped off ballot boxes without explaining to the townspeople what they are.
4. The Zapatista communities did the work of explaining the importance of participating in the referendum and what the referendum is about. They did this in both partidista and CNI communities, and they did this in the communities’ mother tongues.
To our surprise, some partidistas communities where there are no Zapatistas held and continue to hold assemblies, and they have sent and continue to send their results to the Good Government Councils.
The partidista communities have thanked the Good Government Councils for explaining the referendum, and have said they will go to the polls tomorrow and will send us the count of how many people from their communities participated in the referendum with their official ID cards.
The gap created by the absence of representatives of the Mexican government and its institutions is being filled by “extemporaneous” individuals who took it upon themselves to translate the referendum into their originary languages and to explain what the referendum is about and its importance.
Not only did no one from the INE show up to explain anything: no one in any government capacity deigned to even try to go to any community (even though the government is supposedly the interested party in the referendum because their overseer ordered it).
The only thing the government officials have done is threaten people by saying that if they don’t go “vote” in the referendum, then their government support programs will be “cut.” They were sent to say: “If you don’t want to lose your cash handouts, go and put down ‘yes.’”
In addition, the government is lying because when it tells people to just go and vote “yes,” it says that the referendum is about whether to take the former presidents to trial.
Instead of explaining things to the people, they resort to threats and lies.
All that was needed was a bit of self-respect and political work.
5. Even though according to the Mexican state they do not exist, the thousands of “extemporaneous” indigenous communities embrace the thousands of families of the victims of the decisions made at different levels of government in recent years.
6. Although we do not legally exist according to the Mexican government, we ask you all – victims, families, and organizations that support them – to accept this embrace from those who have spent centuries (up to the present day) being victimized by the “decisions of political actors” of all governments across the entire political spectrum.
When we have the complete results, we will ensure they are shared with those who struggle for truth and justice for the victims and their families.
With this communiqué we announce that the Zapatista communities, as of July 31, 2021, are initiating their participation in the National Campaign for Truth and Justice.
That is all.
From the mountains of the Mexican Southeast.
Subcomandante Insurgente Galeano
Zapatista Sixth Commission for the National Campaign for Truth and Justice
Mexico, July 2021
(Español) Pronunciamiento de la Campaña U Jeets’el le Ki’ki kuxtal en el aniversario del inicio de la lucha social maya de 1847
Los pueblos mayas continuamos luchando por la defensa de nuestros territorios
¡por nuestras autonomías!
¡por la libertad!
De la “Guerra de Castas” a la Autonomía
Pronunciamiento de la Campaña U Jeets’el le Ki’ki kuxtal en el aniversario del
inicio de la lucha social maya de 1847
Al Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional
Al Congreso Nacional Indígena / Concejo Indígena de Gobierno
Al Escuadrón 421 y a quienes integran las delegaciones en La Gira por la Vida
A los colectivos, organizaciones y pueblos de la Europa de abajo -la Tierra Insumisa, Slumil K´ajxemk´opA las Redes de Resistencia y Rebeldía
A la Sexta Nacional e Internacional
A los pueblos que luchan
A los medios de comunicación
Al pueblo maya de la península de Yucatán
1. La Guerra de ayer, herencia colonial
En la memoria de nuestros pueblos, de las abuelas y los abuelos mayas que habitan nuestros territorios ancestrales está presente la Gran Guerra. Aquella iniciada en 1847 en los pueblos de Tepich y Tihosuco en el oriente de la Península de Yucatán. La insurrección maya por la defensa de la libertad.
En la memoria de los pueblos viven los recuerdos de aquellos días en los que, decididos a terminar con la opresión, la explotación, los despojos y la muerte provocada por los malos gobiernos en complicidad con los hacendados que perpetuaban las condiciones de esclavitud colonial para los pueblos mayas; se levantaron en armas Cecilio Chí, Jacinto Pat y cientos de hombres y mujeresmayas para luchar por la dignidad y la justicia, iniciándose así una de las mayores rebeliones en el territorio maya.
Tal como lo habían hecho nuestros ancestros que desde el inicio de la invasión europea resistieron a los intentos de aniquilamiento de los pueblos originarios: Nachi Cocom, Jacinto Canek y muchos abuelos y abuelas mayas rebeldes.
En la memoria de los pueblos viven los recuerdo de la guerra: los enfrentamientos, la muerte, la sangre tiñendo las aguas cristalinas de los cenotes en medio de la selva; el recuerdo de tiempos de esconderse entre lo tupido del monte y habitar dentro de las cuevas sagradas; los tiempos de alimentarse con plantas silvestres, raíces, frutos e insectos a falta de maíz pues las milpas y sus cosechas eran destruidas por los de arriba, los malos gobiernos contra los que se luchaba.
Pero también vive la memoria de la autonomía conquistada con fusiles y con fe, la memoria de las fiestas ceremoniales. Viven los recuerdos de la música del mayapax con el violín, el bombo y la tarola: tan triste como sagrada; tan festiva como dolorosa. Vive la memoria de María Uicab, Vive la palabra de La Cruz Parlante que dirigía los combates y mantenía unidos a los insurrectos, porque la lucha por nuestro pueblo ha sido también una lucha espiritual; en las proclamas de la cruz kichkelen yuum con su palabra de lucha -pero también de amor y esperanza- guió a nuestros abuelos y abuelas. Hoy también continúa guiándonos. La lucha es desde nuestra raíz y existencia.
