Statement on the Murder of Brad Will and the Situation in Oaxaca

north america / mexico | community struggles | press release Wednesday November 01, 2006 01:24 by Skip - NEFAC, NYMAA skip at iww dot org

A statement by the New York Metro Alliance of Anarchists, endorsed by the anglophone secretariat of NEFAC, on the murder of Brad Will and others, and the situation in Oaxaca.

Statement from the New York Metro Alliance of Anarchists on the murder of Brad Will, Emilio Alonso Fabián, Esteban López Zurita, and others - victims of the para-militaries and police state of Oaxaca, Mexico, and the world.

Brad Will, independent journalist, videographer, squatter, green, and anarchist, gunned down Friday, Oct 27th, 2006, while reporting on the social struggle taking place in Oaxaca, Mexico, was our friend and compañero, a man with a fiery heart and unwavering courage in the face of injustice and repression. He joined the multitude of Oaxaca, Mexico, Latin America, and the world who seek daily a reprieve from the indignities, injustices, and violence delivered upon the ordinary people who fight for a better world.

Brad was one of many from the North who travelled to Oaxaca to witness, report, and testify to the social revolution happening there and throughout Mexico. Brad is not the first, and certainly won't be the last person to fall silent at the hands of the state, the police, or the henchmen they hire. Hundreds have died in recent years, many more injured by violence and repression. Disappearances and political murders are common to the people of Mexico, most recently in Chiapas and Oaxaca, not surprisingly with complicity and support from the US Government.

We call on all people of conscience to reject these injustices, and use all available resources at their disposal to halt the encroachment of the Mexican, US, and paramilitary state upon the social revolution that is most certainly taking place in Oaxaca and throughout Mexico. We call on the entire left in the United States, regardless of political position, to strongly consider adherence to the "Other Campaign", as initiated by the Zapatistas (please see link below). Honor the memory of the hundreds, the thousands killed, by organizing where you live, where you work. The people of Oaxaca have organized themselves and rejected the authority of Mexican state. We can do the same.

Alejandro García Hernández, resident of Oaxaca, presente!
René Calva, resident, presente!
Pánfilo Hernández, school teacher, presente!
Emilio Alonso Fabián, resident of neighborhood, presente!
Esteban López Zurita, school teacher, presente!
Brad Will, organizer, journalist, friend, presente!
All nameless victims of state violence in Mexico and the world, presente!

References:

http://www.narconews.com
http://zapagringo.blogspot.com/2006/07/other-campaign.html
http://www.nymaa.org
http://www.nefac.net
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This statement has been endorsed by the anglophone General Sectratatriat of NEFAC, Open City Anarchist Collective