ALL THIS FOR SELLING FLOWERS?

MEXICO: THE NEW FACE OF HUMAN RIGHTS
A glimpse at the reality of Mexico, the current inaugural Chair of the United Nations Human Rights Council:

19th May 2006 - Launch of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Mexico is awarded position of Chair for the first year.

REWIND:

3rd May 2006 - Texcoco, Mexico: Farmers selling flowers are attacked by police who wreck their stalls and remove them from the market. Residents from the nearby town of San Salvador Atenco come to the aid of the farmers and confront the police. 4000 armed police officers lay siege to the small town of Atenco, brutally repressing the population. Riot police move systematically throughout the town, smashing their way into houses and savagely beating the occupants - irrespective of age or gender.

14-year old Francisco Javier Santiago, is shot at point-blank range by an 'officer of the law'. He died immediately. Twenty-year old Alexis Benhumea was struck in the head by a tear gas canister- 'made in USA' - fired by the police. Denied medical attention, and lying in a pool of blood he lapses into a coma. One month later, he dies. Over 200 people have been arrested, and eighteen 'disappeared', all beaten at the hands of the police. However, the worst is still to come;

Of the 47 women arrested almost all were gang-raped and /or sexually abused by the Mexican police, on the specific orders of their superiors. These most brutal tactics of repression were carried out by uniformed representatives of the State as part of a deliberate attempt to terrorise the population they are sworn to protect.

These vile acts were part of a deliberate attempt on the part of the Mexican State to punish the people of Atenco for their defeat of an airport expansion programme in 2004, and the farmers of Texcoco for standing in the way of construction of a new Wal-Mart (owners of ASDA) superstore.

This is but one example of the world-wide phenomenon where politicians in the pockets of businessmen send armed gangs to trample human life and dignity in their mad scramble for profit.


// FILM SCREENING: Atenco - Breaking the Seige!

// WHEN: 7.30pm, Wednesday 19th July

// WHERE: Room 3, RISC International Solidarity Centre, 35-39 London Street, in Reading town centre


Hosted by Chi'iltak Collective (Reading based anti-capitalist and anti-authoritarian Zapatista solidarity group).

Email:  chiiltak@hotmail.co.uk