Let’s Tear Down the Pyramids. On the Meeting of Rebellions “Some Parts of the Whole” Convened by the Zapatistas.

The Zapatistas did it again. What did they do? A little bit of everything, and a lot. They called on humanity to share some of the ways in which the struggle against capitalism continues and is sustained. On this occasion, they compared it to a pyramid, inviting us to question and tear down the pyramids that oppress us, that are sustained by repression, exploitation, contempt, and dispossession.

Their message was clear: “We don’t want a less evil government,” they said. They want a free and organized society that can face the apocalyptic challenges that capitalism has created. They call on us to resist the storm that is coming and the one that has already begun, which grows day by day, threatening all life.

For 14 days, we were invited to listen, to hear one other, and also to speak up with the aim of learning about the many ways in which honest hearts and small and large organizations resist and build alternatives, as they confront the capitalist hydra in their territories. More than 2,700 people from over 45 countries joined the Zapatista Caracol in Morelia. Zapatistas and movements from various parts of the world shared their dreams and hopes, but more importantly, the way in which they are building them “not only in words, but in deeds,” as the Zapatista autonomous communities reiterated in their initiative.

Many of these resistance movements informed us of the problems they face on their lands. The young Americans involved in the pro-Palestinian demonstrations that were heavily repressed by the Trump administration, the Kurdish resistance with Confederalism and the war they face on their lands invaded by nation states, anarchist unions such as the FUA in Germany reviving the original rebellious spirit of the workers’ struggle, the communities resisting repression in El Salvador and its prison policy, in Chile and Argentina, where there is a war against the Mapuche people, the work of squatters and their solidarity in Italy and Greece, the experiences of land recovered and worked collectively, in common, as the Zapatistas say, and how these struggles add to the fight against wars, racism, all forms of violence, patriarchal and even digital.

Solidarity with Palestine was at the heart of it all. In the words and actions of many, the central theme was the need to stop genocide, which is a common cause in the struggle against global capitalism. The Zapatistas, and mainly the militiamen, came out carrying Palestinian flags, and in their speeches, the Zapatista leadership insistently reminded everyone of the pending task of stopping the massacre being carried out by the State of Israel and the United States in occupied Palestine. Hundreds of activists from many different places came to the meeting, bringing with them the Palestinian cause as their agenda and banner. They included people who had gone to the humanitarian marches in Egypt, Pallasos (with a double L) who work with refugee camps, collectives who spoke of the large demonstrations in Europe, of ports closed to prevent more weapons from passing through, of those who have boarded ships to try to break the siege that sea, air, and land have imposed on a defenseless people.

The theme of self-criticism was a relevant topic in the Zapatista debate, like a dirty mirror that must be constantly reviewed and cleaned. In plays and arguments, they spoke of contradictions in the ways they have experienced self-government, and the result was that they realized that the system of oppression is constructed like a pyramid, and that if we repeat those pyramids, the abuses of power will be repeated. The models that were tried in the Good Government Councils did not work; there were abuses, bad practices, bureaucracy, and impositions, but this movement, which has been moving forward for a long time, decided to break with that model, of their own pyramid.

Now as Local Autonomous Governments, community assemblies and large working committees they are gaining strength, and in a reclaiming of the dreams they sought with the uprising and the blood that was shed in 1994, driven by their autonomous models of governance and the knowledge of the indigenous peoples, these mostly indigenous Mayans continue to surprise the world. Now they are promoting communalism, the common good, and the abolition of private property to liberate Mother Earth, a debate that refreshes the political imaginary. Against all odds, they have sustained themselves and blossomed for 31 years on the lands they wrested from their oppressors and the state. In this way, they continue to call for debate and the construction of these free worlds, with new or old dreams, but dreams of freedom nonetheless.

Another theme was “The Pyramid” or the critique of power and the State, a pyramid that is many pyramids, a comparison in order to criticize the hierarchical power relations in our societies. The Zapatista pyramid had four sides: repression, exploitation, contempt, and dispossession. In many of our communities and organizations, hierarchies of power and privilege are reproduced. A simple example is those who go to work for the state, those who fight to escape poverty in an individualistic way, coming from popular causes, seeking to repeat the pyramids, the hierarchies. They do not fight against the pyramid, they seek the top of that pyramid. Clara Brugada and Sheinbaum are examples of this, the former a university activist, the latter a housing organization leader. They just made a new pyramid with the same four sides, more and more like the old one. Once they got to the top, they became the new rich of the political class that narco-governs like puppets of global empires.

Pyramids as a symbol of a structured society with a few at the top who oppress and subjugate the many at the bottom of that pyramid. Not only in the structure of the state but in many social formations, pyramids that we have been accustomed to believing in and repeating, one pyramid (for example, the 4T) replacing another pyramid, with the justification of being “less bad” than the previous one, although with time and the great cynicism that characterizes the political class, they end up being a pyramid, just as unjust and unequal as any other at any other time. Thus, the Zapatistas criticized these pyramids, and in their historical account, they criticized the pyramids of the past, those of the Mexicas, the Mayans, and the current ones of bad governments, large and small, of the current nation-states.

The experience of their journey to rebellious Europe left its mark. The Zapatistas felt more connected to those peoples who responded with contingents of social activists from different parts of the world. With patience, utmost tolerance, and the greatest respect, the Zapatistas listened for 14 days to anyone who wanted to share their message. They shared their voice, their work, their time, their organization, their proposals, and their example. At nine in the morning, the activities began. The Zapatistas were already in their places to start the long days. They rotated and other peoples arrived to join the commissions, some to the work, others to the food, to the cleaning, to the listening. Thousands of Zapatistas organized themselves to maintain this global activity to confront capitalism. After almost twelve hours of discussion at 8:30pm, with only a break for lunch and pozol., the presentations would end. For fourteen days, the Zapatista representatives from each community, accompanied by the Zapatista leadership, listened patiently, attentively, and respectfully.

Theater and the arts are their tools for the massive construction of the future, and have been a constant feature of recent Zapatista gatherings. It is extremely valuable to learn about their work, analyze and understand their arguments, and the ways in which they express them aesthetically in many performances, music, poetry, and visual arts. On this occasion, they shared some plays, the first criticizing the bad practices that occurred in the Good Government Councils from a self-critical perspective of their own movement, another in which they hold an assembly with the dead, and another with the so-called “agüitas” (little waters) that simulate the eggs and sperm of future Zapatistas.

Among their contributions was the presentation of their proposals to save the future by rescuing the wisdom of the past, first with the work they have done in health by reviving the use of plants and natural treatments, then they showed us how to build a house without modern tools, as our grandparents did, without nails, without power tools, only the ingenuity of the communities in a way that respects nature. With a sugar mill, they taught us how to make panela and drink a delicious glass of sugarcane juice. They held a gastronomic exhibition with food from the communities, free of GMOs, healthy, tasty, and showing how generous Mother Earth is and the communities that care for her.

The Zapatistas invited us to share what we were doing to confront capitalism, not to give us recipes or words that were not backed up by concrete work. However, the recipes were everywhere for those who wanted to listen and see with their eyes and ears wide open.

We recommend checking out the Enlace Zapatista page and the coverage by the free media of the “Some Parts of the Whole” gathering. Long live autonomy and the overthrow of the pyramids that oppress us.

Original text and photos by Noticias de Abajo published on August 30th, 2025.
Translation by Schools for Chiapas.

https://abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/?p=21332

#chiapas #ezln #mexico #northAmerica #zapatista

Some Parts of the Whole: A Meeting of Resistance and Rebellion

From August 3 to 16, in the Semillero Comandanta Ramona, Morelia, Chiapas, the Zapatistas opened their world to a gathering unlike any before it —the Encuentro de Resistencia y Rebeldía:  “algunas partes del todo (some parts of the whole).” For two whole weeks, surrounded by colorful murals that breathe life into the semillero, and the breathtaking view of the cañada, the youth of Zapatista support base communities welcomed people from all corners of the world -representatives from 37 countries and from all over the Mexican territory.

Every day, the comedor bearing the name of El Común nourished us, not only with food prepared by compañeras and compañeros, but with the spirit of collectivity. The very infrastructure of the encounter—built with their own hands—was a testament to autonomy in practice.

Through theatre the Zapatista compañeros shared their stories, lessons, and even serious errors of their past organization, recounting both the good and the not-so-good of the last 31 years. What is clear is that these previous steps in education, in health and in justice have paved the way for the making of el Común (the communal). This concept, notably the practice of non-property and inclusion, is currently underway within the autonomous territories with one clear purpose: to dismantle the pyramids of power, and to extend a hand to sisters and brothers in organizing around basic needs.

From our scattered geographies, we came together with one simple yet profound task: to listen. To listen to each other, to look at one another, and to learn from the diverse struggles that resist the storm unleashed by capitalism.

And during the opening act, as if signalling an energetic focal point for our collective heart, a thunderous cry echoed across the mountains:
“We are all Palestinian children. We are all Palestine.”
Thousands of Zapatista milicianas and milicianos, led by the voice of Subcomandante Insurgente Moisés, made it clear: the struggles of the world are intertwined, and solidarity has no borders.

Over the days that followed, we heard from madres buscadoras (searching mothers), defenders of land and territory, and the CNI (National Indigenous Congress). Cooperatives, occupied towns and factories, labor unions, anti-capitalist collectives for health, free media, arts, and mutual aid presented their contexts and their collaborations. Groups spoke of prison abolition, migrant solidarity, climate justice, food sovereignty, gentrification and homelessness. It was a space to share our visions and our limitations, our strategies and our sadnesses, and to glimpse the many facets of organizing and building from below, from the neighborhood to the national and the international.

These accounts from around the globe resonate in their familiar struggles. Though our circumstances vary, our challenges are not foreign—isolation, conflict between the different ‘isms’,  insecurity from violence and the rise of authoritarianism and repression. What have we learned about colonization, dehumanization, dispossession, alienation, patriarchy, counterinsurgency, ethnic supremacy, and militarism? And from every geography, woven through it all, Palestine…Palestine. The moral issue of our time.

We learned from struggles of every color, from different trenches of resistance, each one a small light pushing against the darkness of oppression. Milling between presentations, passing evenings in the comedor, laughing and bouncing through a baile — every moment was an opportunity to learn, to connect, to build the bonds that extend our collective struggle.

As the days came to a close, even as the compañerxs Zapatistas answered questions about their journey and what they had learned, we knew our task was to return to our territories to reflect and continue to build our struggles from our own geographies. We know our journeys will be both different and the same. We carry with us many lessons, as well as the hope and strength born from walking together. What was the purpose/intention of it all?

Despite our distinct realities and modes of resistance, we could think/feel that our struggle is a shared one. We have differing ways of talking, of thinking, of organizing. But we    also,collectively have a tremendous capacity for analysis, communication, self-criticism, unlearning and re-learning. And just as our hosts demonstrated for us, our mission is to have the perceptivity, the humility and the determination and grace to persevere in forging a common ground. The Encuentro offered a practice space to soften our learned barriers and start those conversations, this time, with a different lens.

So to those who were present at the Encuentro de Resistencias y Rebeldías: Algunos Partes del Todo we might turn the question around. What were you hoping you would glean from your experience in Zapatista territory? How was it different than you imagined? Do you walk away with inspiration from alternatives that you might replicate in your territory? How do you envision cultivating the connections that you have made? What concrete actions will you take?

How is Chiapas, how is Zapatismo a school for us, for the day that comes after the storm?

From the very beginning, the compañeras and compañeros of the EZLN have been a compass in the path of Schools for Chiapas. Along this journey of many years the compañerxs have been joined by grassroots organizations, collectives, and NGOs in Chiapas, each from their own trench of struggle, reminding us that—despite the storm already upon us—it is possible to do things differently.

Chiapas, its land and territory, and the compañeras and compañeros who live it, is for us a living school. A school that teaches through daily acts of dignity, through resistance that is also creation, through memory that becomes a seed for the future.

For Schools for Chiapas, this living school inspires us to keep dreaming, but above all to keep building a world where many worlds fit. It reminds us that community, autonomy, and solidarity are not abstract ideals, but practices we must nurture wherever we are.

These lessons travel with us and invite others to join—to look to Chiapas, to listen, and to learn how, even in the storm, another way is possible.

With gratitude to the EZLN for creating these spaces of encounter, of hope, of recognition, and of learning to see ourselves in El Común.

source: Schools for Chiapas

https://abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/?p=21247

#chiapas #ezln #mexico #northAmerica #zapatista

Il y a quelques semaines, je me suis replongé dans #HungerGames. Encore gravé dans ma mémoire.

Adolescent je l'avais lu, puis étudiant je l'avais VU. Pourtant pas oublié, ça me semblais important d'avoir 1 piqure de rappel.

Ça m'est venu après 1 clip de la #FreedomFlotilla, l'arbre du pendu en fond sonore. Envie de me remémorer ... (1/5)

#Palestine #FreePalestine #Israel #Bayrou #GouvernementBayrou #Trump #GouvernementAutoritaire #Macron #Putin #zapatismo #zapatista #EZLN #zapatisme

Summary of the Third Part of the Zapatista Participation in the Meeting of Resistance and Rebellion.

After attending a meeting with our dead (part one) and severely criticizing the functioning and structure of the autonomous governments (part two), the Zapatista communities begin to analyze the positive contributions of those early efforts. While they point out the progress made in collective work, education, health, and as women, among other advantages, the assembly receives an unexpected visitor: the future.

Thus begins a terrible and wonderful exchange between today and tomorrow.

A multitude of eggs and sperm, referred to as “agüitas (little waters)” in the play (don’t ask me why they were given that name), appear at the assembly and ask a series of questions. Not only about love and such things, although that too. Then the assembly explains what it’s all about.

They give as an example the making of tamales. They describe the preparation of the soil, the sowing, the harvesting, the grinding and cooking of the corn, and everything related to the preparation of the dough and the filling of the tamales. They explain that this takes time, that the tamale does not suddenly appear on the table, but that it takes time, effort, and work. They tell them that they are going to put the tamale on a mountain, and that it has taken and will take entire generations to get it there. That each generation is replaced by the next. In other words, they detail the parts of the whole. And that it will be up to those “aguitas” to discover and understand the task that falls to them. They recommend that they care for, love, and protect Mother Earth because she is life. Work with her and upon her, in common and without private property.

A Durito and a Durita remain as witnesses who will see that the waters fulfill their part in the struggle.  In other words, nature remains as a witness.

What is the tamale made of?  Well, as I understand it, that will be known in more than 100 years.  So it’s “chili, sweets, and lard.”

Gossip: when the young people in the play acted out a couple’s argument, SubMoy told a coordinator that he didn’t remember that part from rehearsals.  The coordinator replied that it wasn’t there, the actors improvised it on the spot… and it turned out very well.

From the mountains of southeastern Mexico.

The Captain
August 2025

Thanks to Life!

The protagonists were the support bases of the twelve caracoles, EZLN militiamen and women, who built the spaces in the Morelia seedbed that housed the delegations from Mexico and around the world, took care of the attendees, and staged plays that allowed us to understand more deeply the paths they will continue to follow in the coming years.

An extremely hopeful feature, although not new, was the overwhelming presence of young people, particularly among the militiamen and women and among those who performed in the plays. The plays deserve a separate comment. Not only did they create the scripts, sets, and costumes, some of which were truly remarkable, but they also had to be coordinated from the most diverse areas, which we believe involved months of extensive, intense work.

There was an opening ceremony held by militiamen in support of the Palestinian people, but there was no closing ceremony. Only a simple thank you from Sub Moisés to the attendees and the support bases. Without further ado, he closed the meeting to make way for poetry, music, and dancing, in which thousands of support bases and attendees from the most diverse geographies participated, as they did every night.

The sharing of experiences by delegates from movements and organizations from 45 countries took up most of the time, attended by the support bases while the militiamen followed from a distance. It was many hours of listening, that serene and attentive listening that the Zapatistas teach us with generous humility.

Moisés played a decisive role, even more noticeable because Captain Marcos did not speak. He participated in many discussions, contributing a refreshing and always unpredictable perspective, with simple examples from everyday life, infinite patience to make himself understood, and this time carrying a pipe that, who knows, seemed like a tribute to the captain, given his mannerisms, the way he smoked, and even the way he blew smoke into the air.

A large international and Mexican delegation visited the Dolores Hidalgo caracol, where the operating room donated by European solidarity is being built, along with a large hospital that is being built jointly by Zapatistas and non-Zapatistas. It will be a necessary project for the peoples of the region and a source of pride for the movement.

The last two days were spent answering questions from those attending the command post, one person from each caracol, half men and half women. In a single day, they spent more than four consecutive hours answering a wide variety of questions, some very interesting, others less so, but they always responded with good vibes and Zapatista humor.

The dining hall, El Común, was truly wonderful. There, Marijose and chef Ramón cooked delicious breakfasts, tacos, tortas, and other meals in a huge space where 80 Zapatistas worked in the kitchen or as waiters, 20 hours a day, maintaining good spirits and that spirit of dedication which, in itself, is much more than a revolutionary program.

Those of us who had the privilege of attending quickly forgot about the rain and mud to enjoy the space, the sharing, the informal conversations among attendees and, above all, with the Zapatista bases. They were wonderful days that we will cherish forever in our hearts.

Original text published in Desinformémonos on August 19th, 2025.
Translation by Schools for Chiapas.

https://abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/?p=20971

#chiapas #ezln #mexico #northAmerica #zapatista

Solidarity with Gaza from Chiapas

Good afternoon and thank you for the space to share our word.

We are Acción Palestina Chiapas. We are a collective of people of good heart who came together in response to the genocide that the Zionist settler-colonialist state of Israel is committing in Palestine. We were shocked by the massive slaughter of innocent civilians in Gaza in the days and weeks following the events of October 7th, 2023 and decided to come together to raise our voices in solidarity with the indigenous people of Palestine and against the vengeful slaughter. Little did we imagine that we would still be doing so almost two years later, with the entire population of Gaza displaced numerous times, with the death toll standing at over 60,000 according to the estimates of the health authorities there, starvation being used as a weapon of war, and the genocide and occupation extended to what land remained in the West Bank.

From the outset, we saw it as our duty to contest the US/Israeli propaganda machine, visibilise the plight of the Palestinians, inform the local people of the history and current situation of Palestine, fundraise for organisations working on the ground there, and to never stop talking about Palestine. This is not our intention here today as we are sure that you are all aware of what is occurring in that territory which is really not so far from ours and as our Zapatista brothers and sisters have shown us at the opening of this encounter.

Although we are a diverse group of people as regards nationality, age, gender and ideological views, we were united in a common bond of anti-capitalism and anti-colonialism, setting aside our differences and pooling our efforts for the work at hand, trying as much as possible to link the struggle with local struggles. We meet weekly to plan actions, discuss strategies and tactics and are organised horizontally.

We believe that it is essential to take our struggle for justice for Palestine to the streets. From the outset, we have organised public demonstrations to draw attention to the genocide. These actions have included protests and leafletting outside some of the big supermarket chains in support of the Boycott, Divest and Sanction or BDS campaign. This campaign is organised and directed by the Palestinians themselves and aims to economically isolate Israel and raise awareness about capitalist companies that are complicit in the genocide.

As part of this campaign, we organised an action in front of Burger King together with the collective Food not Bombs distributing free Palestinian food to the public. As well as highlighting the complicity of this company in the genocide and asking people to boycott, we were able to provide a healthy food alternative to the people of Jovel and inform them of the rich culture of cuisine of the Palestinian people.

Shocked by the levels of slaughter of innocent children, we spent a month collecting second-hand children’s clothes which we hung on a clothesline around the old Municipal Palace which the Zapatistas took over on the historic January 1st, 1994. We also spread a lsit of the names of the victims of the infanticide on the ground, a list which is now sadly many times longer. This attracted the attention of many members of the public. They were invited to hang ítems of clothing to remember and show solidarity with the murdered children. We shared with them information leaflets about those children who had lost limbs, who had lost their parents, who had lost their entire families, who had lost their lives. In their obscene, vengeful war, the Zionist entity has now produced more orphans and child amputees per capita there than in any other place on Earth. All this in a geography 200 times smaller than Chiapas.

In a conscious effort to link global and local struggles, we donated the children’s clothes to the displaced people of Chiapas, who numbered over 10,000 at that time, victims of the activities of disorganised crime in the region.

On an almost weekly basis, we have held Punto Palestina where we have information about Palestine, sale of solidarity goods to raise funds for Gaza, and collect signatures to break relations with Israel. Although we have no great faith in the actions of the bad government, this has provided an opportunity for people to show their outrage over the growing numbers of the dead and show their solidarity with those who are still living. It also gives us a chance to connect with those who might not otherwise be involved. Punto Palestina has been held in various locations around San Cristóbal and like the compas we now have wheels and the Punto is now mobile in the form of a tricycle. Furthermore, we have held various rodadas with the Bicicatlán cycle collective.

Artistically, we have organised concerts, poetry readings, murals and artistic activities for children. These children’s activities were also educational and they learned about traditional farming and the crops of Palestine, their names in Arabic, Spanish, English and Tsotsil as well as getting to taste the produce of the land. These events also included painting a Palestinian flag and planting a fig tree as a permanent living monument to the people of Palestine and a symbol of their resistance.

We have also shown a number of films from Palestine. One of the most memorable was ‘’Slingshot Hip Hop’’ which we organised with local hip hop collectives El Semillero and Psicolexia, both of whom participated in the Zapatista arts festival earlier this year and have supported us with their presence and beats in many of our activities. Thank you! We thank all of the other musicians and artists who supported us and invite all artists present today to sign our online petition Artistas en Chiapas contra el Genocidio, which can be found at change.org.

We also want to thank all of the social and cultural centrers that have provided space for our activities in San Cristóbal, such as La Cosecha, Sendas, El Paliacate, Puro Mexicano, El Naufragio, Madonna Mia, La Xangarra, Malak Lebanese restaurante, La Enseñanza, the list goes on. With their support, we can clearly see the strength of working together and connecting the local and global struggles. We also thank the Zapatistas for giving us a space at their last two encounters where we were able to riase funds for Gaza and connect with like-minded people from other geographies.

At this point, we would also like to remember the solidarity shown by Padre Marcelo Pérez Pérez. As an indigenous person from Chiapas, he was all too familiar with the suffering of indigenous peoples and with those of Palestine. He displayed a Palestinian flag on the altar of the Guadalupe church and gave us the altar to read a statement about the situation in Palestine on December 12th, 2023. Just two weeks before he was brutally murdered, he offered a mass for the fallen in Gaza to mark the first anniversary of October 7th. His successor, Father Bartholomew, also gave us the altar last December 12th. It was the biggest audience we ever had. He also provided us with a space for a 24-hour fast we did with the people of Ireland on the same date.

To inform people about the past and present of Palestine, we have maintained social media platforms where we translate and post articles and news. We have had the support of local press and radio to inofrm the public about our activities. We have also organised numerous public meetings and talks. These have included a first-hand account of a Mexican doctor who was present in Gaza in the early months of the genocide and at those early stages he left the audience in tears. Since then, hundreds of health workers have been murdered and every one of the the 34 hospitals that existed in Gaza has been destroyed. Another talk that merits mention clarified the distinction between Judaism and Zionism, a distinction which is unfortunately often forgotten. As Acción Palestina Chiapas we are neither in favor of nor against any religión and we do not tolerate any racist or antisemitic comments on our social media.

All of these parts of the whole have allowed us to continue our solidarity work over these almost two years. They have made it possible to send financial support to Gaza through the organizations Medical Aid for Palestinians and the Union of Field Workers’ Committees. They have helped us to reach people and involve them in the Palestinain cause who perhaps wouldn’t have got involved otherwise.

But the work hasn’t been easy. We would have to admit that after almost two years we are tired and drained. We are tired of reading news of more deaths every day and ever-worsening atrocities. We are tired of seeing the photos of starving, dead and dismembered children. We are tired of seeing the horrific videos and hearing the harrowing screams. We are tired of the lies, hypocrisy and double standards of the bad governments of the world. At times we are emotionally drained and bordering on despair. But we refuse to close our eyes, ears and hearts. We refuse to surrender to despair and we continue to struggle just as the people of Gaza do.

Earlier this year we became aware of the presence of Israeli ex-members of the Forces of Occupation in the schools of Mexico. Having very probably participated in the genocide of indigenous children in Gaza, they appeared as ‘’volunteers’’ in Chiapas, offering to paint schools (blue and white of course!), give English and maths lessons, and used the opportunity to try to cleanse the image of Israel and take photographs with local children which they spread all over their social media, showing what good people they are in the ‘’most moral army in the world’’.

These so-called volunteers belong to an organisation called ‘’Warroirs with out Borders’’ in Hebrew but who translate their name as ‘’Heroes for Life’’. The are, in fact, ‘’War Criminals of Death’’. Their organisation is run by three retired military officials and funded by the Israeli government. Just by chance, we discovered their presence in one school where we were able to shut them down and shut down their social media thanks to the support of parents, teachers and journalists. Nevertheless, they will continue to have a presence in Mexico and other countries in Our America unless there is a coordinated and organised movement to ensure that they are no longer in Mexico. We ask you all to be vigilant in your geographies and to contact us today to begin to build this movement.

The people of Palestine have given us a new understanding of the word ‘’resistance’’. They continue to resist, their spirit  shattered but unbroken. The genocide in Gaza will not last forever. Neither will the racist apartheid Zionist state. When dust of this orgy of violence clears, we must contunue to struggle, we must ensure that there is justice for Palestine and that the war criminals and all those complicit in the genocide are made accountable. We can begin by boycotting, sactioning and divesting from the Israeli state and not permitting war criminals to set foot on Mexican territory, much less be in the presence of our children. We must never stop talking about and organising for Palestine.

¡VIVA PALESTINA LIBRE!

Original article by Acción Palestina Chiapas.
Photos from Acción Palestina Chiapas.

https://abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/?p=20897

#chiapas #ezln #gaza #hamas #mexico #northAmerica #palestine #zapatista

EZLN Critiques Flaws in Functioning of Autonomous Government

The Zapatista communities will continue to search for a form of community relationship that is not pyramidal, but rather communal and organized, affirmed Captain Marcos of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN).

“In a surprising look back at the past, at our ancestors, the Zapatista communities are re-evaluating their present and the problems they face. Following their attendance at the Assembly of the Dead, the communities are beginning a profound analysis of their form of autonomous government,” he said.

In the summary of the second Zapatista participation in the Meeting of Resistances and Rebellions, held at the Comandanta Ramona Seedbed in the Caracol of Morelia, in the official municipality of Altamirano, he added that “the dead have warned them about copying the oppressive pyramid. Because the day will come when the living will have to answer to the dead.”

With that in mind, he elaborated in the text released this Saturday, “they are taking it upon themselves to criticize and self-criticize the flaws in the functioning of the Zapatista Rebel Autonomous Municipalities (MAREZ) and the Good Government Councils.”

He stated that “in community assemblies, corruption, theft, embezzlement, inconsistencies, bureaucracy, and, outright, bullshit from some government administrations are denounced. It’s unbelievable at first glance. The accusations are relentless, and evidence is provided. Various punishments and sanctions are determined and applied.”

He noted that “the self-critical analysis doesn’t stop there. It’s clear that the autonomous government model is replicating the pyramidal structure that the damn system imposes on the parts of the whole.”

Marcos continued: “Like a wind that begins as a breeze, increases in intensity, and becomes a hurricane, the condemnation grows. Young men and women with different mother tongues, with Maya roots, discuss, exchange ideas, analyses, thoughts, and proposals. The common sentence is: ‘fuck the pyramid.’”

He affirmed that “together and organized, the Zapatista peoples are tearing down their pyramid, disappearing the MAREZ and the Good Government Councils. They are thus committing their struggle to the collapse and destruction of all the pyramids, especially the mother pyramid: the capitalist system. In the face of a global criminal: resistance and rebellion in the parts of the whole, they declare.”

He concluded: “The rumors are confirmed: the pyramid is being stripped bare with fire and demolished. On its rubble, a multitude of people are dancing and singing. But only for a moment, we must continue fighting. We must be seen and heard before our fellow human beings in their differences, the parts of the whole that resist, and reveal and rebel against the system.”

With this, Marcos alluded to the moment when those attending the Resistance and Rebellion meeting set fire to a wooden pyramid several meters high, under the direction of Subcomandante Moisés.

“Today we want to show you that we are going to end this symbolically. We are going to destroy it. We are going to topple it because it is symbolic. Truly, to topple those up there—you know who is governing—we will have to organize. We will have to fight with resistance and rebellion,” said Moisés.

As hundreds of those attending the meeting looked on, he added: “First, we are going to strip it bare, we are going to undress it. Strip it, burn it; throw whatever you want at it.”

A video shows a man approaching and setting it on fire, after which several people throw stones at the pyramid. The flames consume the white “dress,” on which words like “exploitation” and “contempt” can be read.

As the pyramid burns, Moses exhorts those present: “Throw fire on it, or whatever. Go ahead! That’s it! That’s it! Don’t be afraid of those who exploit us, of those who humiliate us.”

Amid the uproar, shouts, whistles, and applause, another man used a lasso to pull down the wood that didn’t burn. “As you can see, the base is what remains. What must be destroyed is the pyramid. The people are the base. What must be brought down is the one on top of the people, which is the pyramid.” “So you see, the foundation is there, which is the people who will organize themselves again with a new way of governing themselves as a people with their autonomy. That’s the idea we want to show you symbolically, but what follows isn’t symbolic; it’s real: organizing, thinking, discussing, analyzing, and then deciding together with the people what the new thing will be. We can’t say whether it’s a figure or not,” he concluded.

Original article by Elio Henríquez, La Jornada, August 9th, 2025.
Translated by Schools for Chiapas.

https://abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/?p=20850

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