UK Indymedia

nature, culture, and indygenous struggle for autonomy under threat from road bu

16-01-2005 19:15

three recent articles taken and translated from chiapas indymedia which explain the current situation in the mexico- guatemala border area, in the lacantun nature reserve. the governement is building a huge bridge to prepare the way for the transnationals and "progress", perhaps lets call it sustainable development. only that the zapatisas hold autonomous comunities in the area, and that we are resisting everywhere. dissent!g8

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Edinburgh Starbucks Picket

13-01-2005 17:21

Supporters of the Zapatista’s, and the International Workers of the World joined forces in Edinburgh to picket Starbuck’s on the Royal mile for the second time on Saturday the eighth of January. Ignoring the cold, they handed out steaming cups of free fairtrade coffee from Chiapas to passing punters, and tried to persuade them not to go into the café. AUDIO AND PICS BELOW

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The EZLN. Send them drugs!

02-01-2005 21:35

Drugs appeal.
Do you have any prescription drugs lying around that you no longer need? Well the Zapatista hospital at Oventic needs them urgently. Below is a brief history of the place and details of how to donate.

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The Zapatista school.

02-01-2005 21:13

Oventic was the sight of the first of many Zapatista education projects. We visited the primary school to interview one of the teachers and meet the children. Indigenous Mexicans have been largely excluded from good quality education. Many state run schools do not recognise indigenous languages as part of their curriculum.

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Oventic a Zapatista 'Caracol'.

02-01-2005 20:24

Caracoles: spaces built by the Zapatistas to organise their autonomy.
There are five rebellious autonomous zones in the state of Chiapas, where hundreds of communities are building a different world. The Caracol is organised by the Zapatista ‘Junta’ a form of local government made up of elected representatives from Zapatista communities.

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Zapatista Art

31-12-2004 20:13

For obvious reasons of security it is strictly forbidden to photograph the people at the Zapatista Caracol of Oventic. However visitors are permitted to capture the breathtaking murals which adorn pretty much every building in the village. The locals seem very proud of their artwork which requires no explanation as it largely speaks for itself. Below is a small selection. Enjoy.

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The Zapatista Hospital.

31-12-2004 18:26

One of the greatest achievements at the Zapatista Caracol of Oventic is the hospital which provides healthcare and medication for thousands of people in nine local communities. We spoke to the hospital administrator; a self educated man elected to take charge of health provision in his community some 12 years ago.

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Interview with the Zapatistas

31-12-2004 17:19

The interview below was with seven Zapatista men and women in one of the meeting spaces in the Zapatista Caracol of Oventic. Permission was sought first by approaching the local Junta a couple of days earlier. They asked for the questions to be submitted in advance and focused on specific areas of interest. We decided to concentrate on the Zapatistas highly successful media operation and the present state of the struggle.

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Galloway brings Zapatista to book

23-12-2004 18:04

Both are high-profile, left-wing mavericks famous for their political theatricality, snappy style and taste in fine tobacco. Now a publishing venture brings them together for the first time.

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ZAPATISTAS DENOUNCE ROAD AND BRIDGE BUILDING IN MEXICAN RAINFOREST

13-12-2004 00:23

Work is being carried out in the biosphere reserve of Montes Azules to plunder its riches. The Mexican government say it is to protect the rainforest but the Zapatistas say they are attacking the forest by building bridges.

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Zapatista coffee now available in Leeds

23-11-2004 18:17

Zapatista coffee is now available in four places in Leeds. Communities who support the Zapatistas have long grown coffee, using traditional methods. All coffee is organic and it tastes amazing... Buying this product directly helps rural farmers in southern Mexico to build thier own production, health and medical facilities. It comes in:

500g - filter (around £5)
250g - espresso (around £3)

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PROTESTORS PICKET EDINBURGH STARBUCKS

20-11-2004 23:50

Protestors picketed Starbucks in Edinburgh’s High Street for three and a half hours on Saturday 20th November. Demonstrators served up free zapatista coffee, proclaiming solidarity with the rebel indigenous movement in Mexico and with New York Starbucks workers in dispute with the coffee giant. The action was jointly organised by Edinburgh Branch Industrial Workers of the World and Edinburgh-Chiapas Solidarity Group.

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PROTESTORS PICKET STARBUCKS Sat 20 November

18-11-2004 23:32

PROTESTORS TARGET STARBUCKS

Zapatista supporters and activists from the revolutionary union the IWW will descend on Starbucks stores in Glasgow and Edinburgh on Saturday 20th November. The protestors aim to show solidarity with Starbucks workers in New York City and with the indigenous Zapatista movement in Chiapas, southern Mexico. Other Starbucks stores round Britain are also being targeted in a co-ordinated day of action by Zapatista solidarity groups.

The demonstrators will be serving up free
Zapatistacoffee to customers and passers-by outside
Starbucks stores in Edinburgh
and Glasgow city centres.

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Radio Insurgente, the EZLN radio station, now in the web!

17-11-2004 21:43

Radio Insurgente, the voice of the EZLN, has now its own website! The EZLN invites all community radio stations to rebroadcast Radio Insurgente's programs.

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Pictures of solidarity protest in front of US embassy, London, 12th of October,

20-10-2004 20:51

Some pictures about the rally in front of the US embassy in London at the Pachamerican day 12th of october. Unfortunately was too late for the Zapatista support demonstration at the Mexican embassy, but here are the pictures of the Venezuela support rally at the US embassy the same day.

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Zapatista and Inter Milan

19-10-2004 14:19

I know this is just a reposting from the Guardian but an interesting piece nonetheless. football and politics mixing - fantastic.

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Beyond PGA:

09-10-2004 15:54

Beyond PGA:

Days & Nights of Communist ideas and action
A short analysis of the socio-political role of the PGA

Our consensus analysis decided that the PGA is incapable of achieving revolutionary change as this is something which can only be acheived by the working class at a global level. We speak for our group and no-one else.

These texts express our position following the workshops at the recent european Conference of Peoples' Global Action at Resnik.

At first we must understand Peoples Global Action (PGA) - and subsequently Peoples Global Action in Europe Process (PGA-e)) - as institutions which parallel the development of capitalist institutions of governance.

Over the last 30 years, capital expanded both horizontally (over the whole planet) and vertically (the commodification of everyday life i.e. leisure). New institutions were created to manage the dynamics of the world markets, such as the World Bank, the Group of 8 (G8), the World Trade Organisation (WTO) etc. The PGA was originally created as an "opposition" to such institutions, and more specifically as an "opposition" to the World Trade Organisation whose 2nd WTO ministerial conference took place in Geneva in May 1998. The PGA-e is the child of the PGA.

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Chiapas The Resistance - Caracol 1 La Realidad

07-10-2004 15:19

On the occasion of its 20th anniversary the Mexican daily paper La Jornada has published a special supplement entitled Chiapas : The Resistance. Written by Gloria Munoz Ramirez, this collection of articles takes us on a journey through the different Caracoles (zapatista centres) in each of the five zones of the Zapatista resistance. The ongoing projects are evaluated and the political context analysed. We learn of the dreams which have become reality, and the dreams which are still to be realised.
Taken from Indymedia Chiapas -

http://www.chiapas.indymedia.org - September 2004, and translated by Edinburgh-Chiapas Solidarity Group -

http://www.edinchiapas.org.uk

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Chiapas The Resistance - Caracol 2 Oventic

07-10-2004 15:15

A report by Gloria Munoz Ramirez in the Mexican daily newspaper La Jornada on the situation of the zapatista movement in the Highlands of Chiapas. Taken from Indymedia Chiapas September 2004 and translated by Edinburgh-Chiapas Solidarity Group.

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Chiapas The Resistance - Caracol 3 La Garrucha

07-10-2004 15:11

A report by Gloria Munoz Ramirez in the Mexican daily newspaper La Jornada on the situation of the zapatista movement in the Tzeltal Lacandona jungle zone of Chiapas. Taken from Indymedia Chiapas September 2004 and translated by Edinburgh-Chiapas Solidarity Group.