8
La Jornada, January 30, 1996
THE EZLN CALLS FOR INTERCONTINENTAL
GATHERING AGAINST NEO-LIBERALISM
First Declaration of La Realidad
Against Neoliberalism and For Humanity
"I have arrived, I am here present, I the singer.
Enjoy in good time, come here to present
yourselves those
who have a hurting heart.
I raise my song".
Nahuatl Poetry.
To the people of the world:
Brothers and Sisters:
During the last years, the power of money has presented
a new mask over its criminal face. Disregarding
borders, with no importance given to races or colors,
the power of money humiliates dignities, insults
honesties and assassinates hopes. Re-named as
"neoliberalism", the historic crime in the
concentration of privileges, wealth and impunities,
democratizes misery and hopelessness.
A new world war is waged, but now against the entire
humanity. As in all world wars, what is being sought
is a new distribution of the world.
By the name of "globalization" they call this modern
war which assassinates and forgets. The new
distribution of the world consists in concentrating
power in power and misery in misery.
The new distribution of the world excludes
"minorities". The indigenous, youth, women,
homosexuals, lesbians, people of color, immigrants,
workers, peasants; the majority who make up the world
basements are presented, for power, as disposable. The
new distribution of the world excludes the majorities.
The modern army of financial capital and corrupt
governments advance conquering in the only way it is
capable of: destroying. The new distribution of the
world destroys humanity.
The new distribution of the world only has one place
for money and its servants. Men, women and machines
become equal in servitude and in being disposable. The
lie governs and it multiplies itself in means and
methods.
A new lie is sold to us as history. The lie about the
defeat of hope, the lie about the defeat of dignity,
the lie about the defeat of humanity. The mirror of
power offers us an equilibrium in the balance scale:
the lie about the victory of cynicism, the lie about
the victory of servitude, the lie about the victory of
neoliberalism.
Instead of humanity, it offers us stock market value
indexes, instead of dignity it offers us globalization
of misery, instead of hope it offers us an emptiness,
instead of life it offers us the international of
terror.
Against the international of terror representing
neoliberalism, we must raise the international of hope.
Hope, above borders, languages, colors, cultures,
sexes, strategies, and thoughts, of all those who
prefer humanity alive.
The international of hope. Not the bureaucracy of
hope, not the opposite image and, thus, the same as
that which annihilates us. Not the power with a new
sign or new clothing. A breath like this, the breath
of dignity. A flower yes, the flower of hope. A song
yes, the song of life.
Dignity is that nation without nationality, that
rainbow that is also a bridge, that murmur of the heart
no matter what blood lives it, that rebel irreverence
that mocks borders, customs and wars.
Hope is that rejection of conformity and defeat.
Life is what they owe us: the right to govern and to
govern ourselves, to think and act with a freedom that
is not exercised over the slavery of others, the right
to give and receive what is just.
For all this, along with those who, beyond borders,
races and colors, share the song of life, the struggle
against death, the flower of hope and the breath of
dignity . . .
The Zapatista Army of National Liberation Speaks . . .
To all who struggle for human values of democracy,
liberty and justice.
To all who force themselves to resist the world crime
known as "Neoliberalism" and aim for humanity and hope
to be better, be synonymous of future.
To all individuals, groups, collectives, movements,
social, civic and political organizations, neighborhood
associations, cooperatives, all the lefts known and to
be known; non-governmental organizations, groups in
solidarity with struggles of the world people, bands,
tribes, intellectuals, indigenous people, students,
musicians, workers, artists, teachers, peasants,
cultural groups, youth movements, alternative
communication media, ecologists, tenants, lesbians,
homosexuals, feminists, pacifists.
To all human beings without a home, without land,
without work, without food, without health, without
education, without freedom, without justice, without
independence, without democracy, without peace, without
tomorrow.
To all who, with no matter to colors, race or borders,
make of hope a weapon and a shield.
And calls together to the First Intercontinental
Gathering for Humanity and Against Neoliberalism.
To be celebrated between the months of April and August
of 1996 in the five continents, according the following
program of activities:
First: Continental preparation assemblies in the month
of April of 1996 in the following sites:
1.- European Continent: Site in Berlin, Germany
2.- American Continent: Site in La Realidad,
Mexico
3.- Asian Continent: Site in Tokyo, Japan
4.- African Continent: Site to be defined
5.- Oceanic Continent: Site in Sidney, Australia.
Note: The continental sites can change if the
organizing groups decide to do so.
Second: The Intercontinental Gathering for Humanity and
Against Neoliberalism, from July 27th to August 3rd of
1996, in the Zapatista "Aguascalientes", Chiapas,
Mexico.
With the following bases --
Agenda:
Table 1.- Economic aspects of how one lives under
neoliberalism, how one resists, how one struggles and
proposals of struggle against it and for humanity.
Table 2.- Political aspects of how one lives under
neoliberalism, how one resists, how one struggles and
proposals of struggle against it and for humanity.
Table 3.- Social aspects of how one lives under
neoliberalism, how one resists, how one struggles and
proposals of struggle against it and for humanity.
Table 4.- Cultural aspects of how one lives under
neoliberalism, how one resists, how one struggles and
proposals of struggle against it and for humanity.
Organization:
The preparation meetings in Europe, Asia, Africa and
Oceania will be organized by the Committees in
Solidarity with the Zapatista Rebellion, related
organisms, and citizenship groups interested in the
struggle against neoliberalism and for humanity. We
call upon groups of all countries so that they work
united in the organization and achievement of the
preparation assemblies.
The intercontinental gathering for humanity and against
neoliberalism, to be celebrated from July 27th to
August 3rd of 1996 in Chiapas, Mexico, will be
organized by the EZLN and by citizens and Mexican non-
governmental organizations that will be made known in
opportune time.
Accreditation:
The accreditation for the preparation assemblies in the
5 continents will be made by the organizing committees
formed in Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and America,
respectively.
The accreditations for the gathering in Chiapas,
Mexico, will be done by the committees in solidarity
with the Zapatista rebellion, with the people of
Chiapas, and with the people of Mexico, in their
respective countries; and in Mexico, by the organizing
commission, which will be known in opportune time.
General and Intercontinental Note:
All which has not been completed by this convocation
will be resolved by the respective organizing
committees regarding the continental preparation
assemblies, and by the intercontinental organizing
committees regarding the gathering in Chiapas, Mexico.
Brothers and Sisters: humanity lives in the chest of us
all and, like the heart, it prefers to be on the left
side. We must find it, we must find ourselves. It is
not necessary to conquer the world. It is sufficient
with making it new. Us. Today.
Democracy!
Liberty!
Justice!
>From the mountains of the Mexican Southeast.
By the Clandestine Indigenous Revolutionary
Committee General Command of the Zapatista Army of
National Liberation.
Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos.
Mexico, January of 1996
_______________________________________________________
_
Comite de Solidarite avec les Peuples de Chiapas en
Lutte. Zapatista Army of National Liberation.
Mexico, January of 1996.
To: Those attending the V European Gathering of
Solidarity with the Zapatista Rebellion.
Paris, France.
"This seemed dumb to Alice; so she said nothing, but
hurried toward the Red Queen. To her surprise, she
immediately lost sight of her and found herself walking
again in front of the door.
A bit irritated, she went along her steps, and after
looking everywhere for the Red Queen (whom she finally
saw very far) she thought that on this occasion she
would try walking in the opposite direction.
Everything happened in the best possible manner. She
hadn't even walked a minute when she found herself face
to face with the Red Queen, and precisely in front of
the hill that she longed to climb.
"Where are you coming from?" asked the Red Queen. "And
where are you going? Look, speak clearly and don't be
moving your fingers all the time."
Alice attended to everything she was being told and
explained, with as much clarity as she could, that she
had lost her way.
"I don't understand what you want to say when you speak
of your way" said the Queen, "since all the ways here
are mine."
"On the other side of the mirror. And what Alice found
there."
Chapter II; "The garden of the living flowers," by
Lewis Caroll
Brothers and Sisters:
In name of my companeros, the men, women, children and
elders who make up the Zapatista Army of National
Liberation, I write to greet you and greet the
celebration of this V European Gathering of Solidarity
with the Zapatista Rebellion.
You must know that we have not been able to send any of
our companeros Zapatistas and that no one takes the
EZLN representation before the V Gathering. Currently
we find ourselves in the internal process of
consultation in the Zapatista indigenous communities to
respond to the proposals of accords reached in the
dialogue table of San Andres de Sacamch'en de Los
Pobres. That is why it has been impossible to attend
this, your V Gathering. We have also not been able to
ask anyone (nor will we do so) to take our voice to all
of you. That is why we must once again use the media
so you will listen to us. Annexed to this greeting you
will find the First Declaration of La Realidad, which
calls for the celebration of the First Intercontinental
Gathering for Humanity and against Neoliberalism. We
ask that you read it and, if you agree, subscribe to
its tenets along with the EZLN so that, united, we can
call humanity together to this discovery of itself and
the simultaneous discovery of ourselves.
We know that you have many issues to take care of in
your gathering, but we beg you to take some time for
this matter on the gathering which Durito calls
"intergalactic".
On this point we want to say the following: We propose
to you that the Preparation Assembly of the
Intercontinental Gathering for Humanity and against
Neoliberalism of the European Continent be celebrated
in the first week of April of 1996 in Berlin, Germany.
Also we say to you that this is only a proposal. Of
course we accept if you choose another site. In any
case, be it Berlin or another place, we ask that you
support the group's choice of the site. We must begin
to create a new political culture where unity produces
effects. And what better sample of this new politics
than this assembly (and those on other continents) to
be the result of international work and not only of the
site country. Is this not an attempt to form the
international of hope? Well, let us undermine the
borders in this new sense.
I would like to discuss why we propose that the site of
the European preparation assembly be Berlin. I could
say that I am trying to get the CCRI to send me as a
delegate and that I have always wanted to know Germany,
or that this is a strategy of narcissistic self
promotion (because of the issue with "Marcos"). This is
true, but it is not the fundamental reason.
As is stated in the First Declaration of La Realidad,
the Power has sold us a lie as truth, the lie of our
defeat. No matter whether it in fact defeats us, Power
has dedicated itself to making us believe that we are
defeated. Who? Us, you, all who think it is possible
and necessary for a there to be a world where
democracy, liberty, and justice abandon their
comfortable place in utopias and libraries and come
live (and struggle, which is a beautiful form of
living) with us.
Regarding the lie about our defeat, Power has built a
lie about its victory. And Power has chosen the fall
of the Berlin Wall as a symbol of its omnipotence and
eternity. Over the ruins of the Berlin Wall, Power
built a larger and stronger wall: the wall of
hopelessness.
The wall continues there, it is part of the history but
does not mean the defeat of hope nor the victory of
cynicism. There is in Berlin a fragment of the broken
mirror that we inherited as history.
Just as Alice discovers that to reach the Red Queen,
she must walk backwards, we must turn to the past to be
able to advance and to improve. In the past we can
find paths to the future. And we, you, do not have any
greater aspiration than the future. That is why the
past is important. If something new is born, it is
because something old is dying. But in the new, the old
extends itself and it can eat the future if we do not
attack it, know it, speak to it, listen to it. In
short, we must stop fearing it.
A symbol? Yes, a symbol. Why not tear off something
new from where the old remained? What have we to lose?
Nothing, other than the fear, the shame, the regrets .
.. . and the nightmares.
Why not begin with a symbol? Why not begin by walking
there once again? Why not take in our hands that
broken piece of the mirror? Maybe we will hurt our
hands, but perhaps we will be able to see, through one
of the cracks of its reflection, the crystal we are
looking for, that we long for, the one we deserve . . .
Berlin. The first week of April of the year 1996. 7
years later. 7 times 7 walk the 7. Berlin. Why not?
Well, I reiterate to you our greetings and desires for
everything to go well in your V European Gathering of
Solidarity with the Zapatista Rebellion.
Vale. Health and that, together, we find the Red
Queen.
>From the mountains of the Mexican Southeast.
Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos.
Mexico, January of 1996.
P.S. That alerts the OTAN. Durito has not abandoned
the idea of disembarking and initiating the conquest of
Europe. He has invited me, but I still have a lot of
doubts. The embarkment that he prepares looks a lot
like a can of sardines. Also, I fear he wants to take
me to serve as a rower, and for me, all humidity that
is not feminine produces dizziness . . .
