Convocation | First Solidarity Forum in Oaxaca

Oaxaca is the state located in southeast Mexico, with 3,228,895 inhabitants and, next to Chiapas and Guerrero, it is one of the poorest states in the country. Half of the economically active population receives less than minimum wage or none at all, and the majority of the towns are highly marginalized. This explains why our state has a high migration index to the northeast and to the United States.

One principal characteristic of the state is the diversity of the indigenous population represented in: Amuzgo, Cuicateco, Chatino, Chinanteco, Chocholteco, Chontale, Huave, Ixcateco, Mazateco, Mixe, Mixteco, Nahua, Triqui, Zapoteco, Zoque o Tacuate and even from African origin.

Of the 570 municipalities, 418 have a predominantly indigenous presence, and approximately one third of the state speaks an indigenous language. This means that 53% of the country’s indigenous population lives in Oaxaca. Due to the relationship of the people to the earth, the majority of the rural production methods in the state are collective. This means 44.1% live under a communal system and 27% live on communal land, so only 28% is private property. The majority of the population is dedicated to primary activities.

As for agriculture, the surface area not planted is greater than the farming area due to drought, lack of credit and subsidies as well as the low profitability of the harvest. Due to the lack of government economic support they do not have technical support or insurance, which makes the situation more difficult, especially for low-income communities.

Other situations that aggravate the conditions on the Oaxacan land have been the conflict over restricted land use, as well as the counter-reforms in Article 27 of the constitution, taxes under the government of Carlos Salinas de Gortari, which permitted the selling and speculation of communal property. This has resulted in appropriation of the best land by transnational businesses.

The process of decomposition of the social network in the communities has been aggravated in some zones by the implementation of the mega-projects and tourist or industrial corridors under the Plan Puebla Panama that were designed without consulting the people, affecting community life as well as the environment. In Oaxaca, they have designed the Isthmus Mega-project that includes the Eolico Park in La Venta, the touristic Coastal-Pacific corridor, the textile corridor between Guerrero and Oaxaca, and the project of La Cuenca del Papaloapan that unites the Gulf with Tuxtepec, the Dominican Route in the Mixteca, and the privatization of the Ceremonial Center of Mount Alban Pyramids in the central valley, etc. Among the objectives are found a concentration of elements of the global production chain, incorporating maquiladoras and parts manufacturers; intercontinental distribution centers and axes of regional transport to link the Mexican coasts from the north and southeast of the country and to be multi-modal corridors for the import and export market (above all in the Isthmus region).

To develop these projects there have been mining, forestry, fishing, cultural, etc. inversions. In this last there have been grave violations to human and constitutional rights, such as the right to life, physical and psychological integrity, liberty of expression and to organize for common citizens as well as for people within social organizations and journalists. It is the case of constant aggressions to labor rights in union organizations, unconstitutional prison sentences and assassinations of leaders in the rural community for those who struggle for social change.

Since 2000, in which the Revolutionary Institutional Party (PRI), lost power, the government has imposed a so-called “transition toward democracy.” Nevertheless, this government for “change” headed by Vicente Fox has maintained the same anti-people’s politics and intrigues of the PRI, all at the service of the big national and international investors.

Since Diodoro Carraso Altamirano arrived at the Oaxacan government 14 years ago, he has initiated an open and brutal offensive against the democratic organization in the farming and union communities. In the South Sierra, under the pretext of combating guerilla forces, he has tracked, persecuted, imprisoned and assassinated Zapotec citizens from the Loxicha region, in which 9 remain imprisoned even today from this region of Oaxaca. Under the Jose Murat government, in the same region they killed more than 20 indigenous miners.

Those directly responsible for the assassinations and constitutional violations have been awarded with high federal government positions and no investigation has taken place to punish those responsible.

This year, 2006, like all years, the Teachers Democratic Movement began their struggle on May 22; a central demand is the raising of salaries to the cost of living. The Ulises Ruiz Ortiz (URO) government response was a crack-down and repression. On June 14 the government tried to violently dislodge the teachers’ demonstration on the main plaza, resulting in a confrontation where dozens of teachers, citizens and police were hurt and the teachers and social organizations succeeded in re-taking the Historic Center of Oaxaca, which continues today.

From that date on, the Oaxacan population decided to demand that the URO leave, who, from his arrival to the government has ferociously hunted down social organizations, farmers and independent unions and anyone against his politics.

Actually, with the arrival of the ultra-right government headed by Felipe Calderon, the situation for the mass movement in Mexico and in particular, the mass movement in Oaxaca, exist a situation of constant aggressions on the part of the government, that has reached an extreme level by using fascist actions to make the people’s movement break down.

Nonetheless, the Oaxacan people are not ready to rescind their demand for the fall of Ulises Ruiz Ortiz, nor will the valiant democratic teachers’ movement stop, which has refused the coarse economic offerings from the Secretary of State.

For all of these reasons, we are calling in brotherhood all of the union, farmer, social, student, human rights, cultural, political, sexually diverse, indigenous and rural, and democratic individuals and organizations here and around the world to participate in the First Solidarity Forum with the People of Oaxaca.
This event has the central objective:

Reaffirm the solidarity ties among organizations within Mexico and the world, in a struggle for dignity, justice and democracy.
Strengthen the struggle to a national and global level against the neo-liberal and pro-imperial model, who are imposing their economic power over us through the institutions of the World Bank, IMF and the OCEDE.
Coordinate actions against the plans of pillage and plunder such as: the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas and the Plan Puebla Panama, which go against the nature and culture of our towns.
Coordinate and strengthen the struggle in defense of labor rights of Mexican workers and workers of the world.
Discuss and propose ways to coordinate and support the Oaxacan struggle, gain the resignation of Ulises Ruiz Ortiz and a new summons for clean and democratic elections.

The event will be held on Saturday, October 14, 2006, in the Central Building of the Autonomous University of Benito Juarez of Oaxaca, on Independencia Avenue and Macedonio Alcala street at 9:00 am.