National Indigenous Congress and Indigenous Governing Council Communiqué on the 25th Anniversary of the Armed Uprising of the Zapatista Army for National Liberation
To the Zapatista Army for National Liberation:
To the CIG Support Networks:
To the Networks of Resistance and Rebellion:
To the Mexican people:
To the peoples of the world:
To the media:
The peoples, nations, and tribes who make up the National Indigenous Congress and the Indigenous Governing Council proudly salute the 25th anniversary of the armed uprising of the Zapatista Army for National Liberation. As of January 1, 1994, we stopped demanding justice by asking for handouts and began exercising our rights, not just in Chiapas but in every indigenous corner of our country.
That day marked a new chapter of our collective life. With heads held high, we now walk in the footsteps of our ancestors and plant the seeds of generations to come, determined to continue to live as peoples, nations, and tribes.
Given the war unleashed upon us, we see ourselves reflected in the path walked by the Zapatista indigenous communities. We know that threats against us abound, all in the name of riches for the few, while the only options offered us are to migrate and leave our territories behind, to mourn our dead in the face of so much violence, pollution, persecution and incarceration, and to settle for fear and resignation.