WE CONDEMN THE CRIMINAL TERROR AGAINST THE PEOPLES AND COMMUNITIES OF THE COAST–SIERRA OF MICHOACÁN; WE DEMAND TRUE PEACE AND JUSTICE, NOT EMPTY WORDS

TO THE PEOPLES OF MEXICO AND THE WORLD,
TO THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL MEDIA,
TO HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENSE ORGANIZATIONS.

In light of the terrorist attack carried out by organized crime at midday on December 6 against the headquarters of the Community Police of the municipality of Coahuayana, the community of Santa María Ostula firmly condemns this brutal crime, whose purpose is to generate terror among the population and to undermine the community security system established by the peoples of Coahuayana.

So far, 5 people have been confirmed dead and around twenty injured. None of them—nor anyone—deserves to be a victim of criminal groups such as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which for five years has been attacking our communities in an attempt to displace our populations, as has happened in so many parts of this suffering country, and to seize our territories.

We want to make clear that we will remain united and organized to fully guarantee the safety of the inhabitants of our communities and of the general population, as well as to demand that all levels of government effectively commit themselves to combating crime.

In these very difficult moments, we extend our solidarity and full support to the Community Police of Coahuayana, headed by Commander Héctor Navarrete.

We recognize the enormous work and effort that this community security body has carried out since 2013 to put an end to delinquency and to the criminal groups that have ravaged the Coast–Sierra for more than a decade.

We also offer a fraternal and supportive embrace to the inhabitants of Coahuayana in the face of these painful events.

We demand that the state and federal governments genuinely work to dismantle the CJNG and any other criminal organization, since their purely demagogic speeches—proclaiming the rights of Indigenous peoples while criminals massacre and murder us with total impunity—lay bare the lack of will, if not outright collusion, of government institutions with criminal cartels.

Recently, the federal government announced the Michoacán Plan for Peace and Justice, with a budget of more than 50 billion pesos; but neither with this plan nor with previous ones are peace and justice being built.

On the contrary, with the Michoacán Plan, the federal armed forces have occupied the territories of our peoples and, specifically, the Mexican Navy and the National Guard have intentionally impeded the free functioning of our community police forces and communal guards, seriously undermining our self-defense capacities, with consequences as tragic as those of this December 6.

The solution is not to militarize the region, the state, or the country, nor to criminalize our community police; the solution is to dismantle these criminal organizations from their foundations and in all the places where they operate, as well as the terrifying complicity of institutions and corrupt officials with organized crime. The solution lies in RESPECT BY GOVERNMENTS FOR THE SECURITY STRUCTURES THAT ARISE FROM OUR MUNICIPALITIES AND COMMUNITIES, SUCH AS COMMUNITY POLICE FORCES AND COMMUNAL GUARDS. The solution lies in respecting the self-determination and rights of communities; the solution lies in building projects of life, not of death.

In line with the above, WE DEMAND OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE STATE OF MICHOACÁN:

1. THE PUNISHMENT OF THE MATERIAL AND INTELLECTUAL PERPETRATORS OF THE TERRORIST ACT OF DECEMBER 6 IN COAHUAYANA.
2. REAL AND LASTING ACTIONS FOR THE DISMANTLING OF THE CJNG AND ALL CRIMINAL CARTELS.
3. AN END TO THE COMPLICITY BETWEEN CRIMINALS AND GOVERNMENTS.
4. EFFECTIVE RESPECT—NOT ONLY IN SPEECHES—FOR THE RIGHTS OF OUR PEOPLES AND COMMUNITIES.
5. THE FULL GRANTING OF GUARANTEES FOR THE FUNCTIONING OF OUR COMMUNITY POLICE AND COMMUNAL GUARDS.

Never again a Mexico without us!

Nahua community of Santa María Ostula