▲ Civilian organizations formed a security wall so that the EZLN delegates could enter the place. In the center, Subcomandante Moisés. Photo: Jair Cabrera

By: Fernando Camacho and Elio Henríquez

Members of La Extemporánea, the delegation of the Zapatista National Liberation Army (Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional, EZLN) that will depart on Monday for Europe to meet with diverse social collectives on that continent, arrived in Mexico City last night, where the Otomí community residing in the country’s capital received them.

Amid incessant vivas and cries of support from those who went to welcome them, the 177 delegates of the Zapatista commission arrived a little after 10 o’clock at night at the local space of the Uníos collective, located at number 32 Carmona y Valle Street, Doctores District.

The EZLN representatives traveled in four passenger buses, accompanied by a group of observers and activists from civil organizations that formed a security wall so that the delegates could enter the building without mishap, which they entered without making statements.

Marisela Mejía, a member of the Otomí community, underscored the importance of La Extemporánea’s journey, so that the indigenous people of the Cho’ol, Tsotsil, Tseltal and Tojolabal languages that comprise it –among them Subcomandante Moisés– can strengthen ties with the old continent’s civil and popular organizations.

This activity “has a very important meaning because we’re going to visit that Europe of below, those communities and peoples just like us. They are mirrors and we are going to make that exchange of struggles, in which it’s necessary that they listen to us, as well as to listen to them. We are going to raise awareness and look at ourselves in those mirrors,” she defined.

The Zapatista delegation had left yesterday morning from Jacinto Canek Zapatista Caracol located in the Indigenous Center of Integral Training-University of the Earth Chiapas, with headquarters in San Cristóbal de las Casas.

The Fray Bartolomé de las Casas Human Rights Center reported that some of it’s members accompanied the caravan as observers, for the purpose of “dissuading and monitoring that no human rights violations are committed during the transfer.”

The organization asked national and international civil society “to be aware of this initiative that reaches more than 30 countries of Europe. La Extemporánea will continue the work started by the Zapatista Squadron 421 maritime delegation that last June began with a series of activities in part of the European territory and that since its arrival the EZLN re-named Tierra Insumisa or Slumil K’ajxemk’op” (Un-submissive Land).

Today, according to the Enlace Zapatista web page, members of the EZLN’s representation will take PCR tests for detection of Covid-19.

Also today, at 6:30 pm the Squadron 421 delegation will arrive in Terminal 1 of the Mexico City International Airport.

On Monday, September 13, La Extemporánea will leave the Uníos space for the capital’s air terminal, bound for the city of Vienna, Austria, after making a stop in Madrid, Spain.

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Originally Published in Spanish by La Jornada

Saturday, September 11, 2021

https://www.jornada.com.mx/2021/09/11/politica/007n1pol

Re-Published with English interpretation by the Chiapas Support Committee