etmm:
IAMR3 (3rd International Assembly of Migrants & Refugees) Poster
Presented by Xicana Moratorium Coalition
Art by xochitlceive
Design by dignidadrebelde
Migrants of the World Gather to Denounce Mexico’s Mistreatment of Migrant Workers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Katie Joaquin, kjoaquin@gmail.com, IAMR3 Media/Publicity Committee(044) 559-104-7318Migrants of the World Gather to Denounce Mexico’s Mistreatment of Migrant WorkersMEXICO CITY – In response to the murder of 72 migrants that took place in San Fernando Ranch, as many as one hundred local and international protesters gathered in front of Department of International Relations (Secretaria de Relaciones Externas, SRE) to demand the Mexican state’s accountability to its people by creating policies of protection, defending the rights of migrants, and rejecting the legitimacy of the of the fourth Global Forum on Migration Development (GFMD.)
“Nosotros los migrants hemos venido hablar por nosotros mismos y no queremos que los intellectuales hablan por nosotros.” [We migrants have come to speak for ourselves; we don’t want intellectuals to speak for us], said Jose Gonzalez of International Migrants Alliance and Frente Indigena Organizaciones Binacionales. (Los Angeles, CA). With the Juarez Monument in Alameda Park serving as its backdrop, the migrant populations excluded by the GFMD displayed the calls “No to GFMD” and “Defend and Advance the Rights of Migrants”. “Sin direchos, sin proteccion, esta es el impacto de capitalismo – depende de la explotacion de los migrantes. Estamos en la lucha hasta lograr la victoria final!” [Withot rights, without protection, this is the impact of capitalism – it depends on the exploitation of migrants. We are in the struggle until we win the final victory!”said Lucho Grandados; Barrio Nuevo (Canada). The Caravana de Madres Centroamericanas displayed photos of their missing family members, the desceparicidos, while the Honduran flag waved behind them.
The protest included participants from various nations and converged to demand justice, truth and reparation for the damages caused by the massacre of the 72 migrants. Some of the groups represented were The Comité Promotor del Tribunal Internacional de Conciencia (TIC), International Migrants Alliance, Philippine Forum (New York, USA), Frente Indigena De Organizaciones Binacionales, Asia Pacific Mission for Immigrants, IBON International, IBON North America (Washington, USA), Migrante Canada, Migrante Europe, Miredes International (Mexico), National Alliance For Filipino Concerns (NAFCON-USA), IMA Canada, CISPES, Movimiento Migrante Meso-Americano, Coalición de Mayo Uno, Caravana de Madres Centroamericanas, Familias Latinas Unidas Sin Fronteras, Barrio Nuevo de Canadá, and IBON Philippines.
“We’re calling on not only the Filipinos, not only the Mexicans, but all migrant workers all over the world to expose and fight the GFMD”, exclaimed Garry Martinez, Chairperson of MIGRANTE- International (Philippines).
This protest demanded the implementation of the guidelines outlined in Article 89 of the Mexican Constitution, which imposes obligations to act in accordance with the principles of self-determination for the people; no intervention; the pacific resolution of conflicts; the outlawing of the use of coercion or the use of force in international relations; the equality to judiciary process by the states; the international cooperation for development; and the struggle for peace and international security. “No hay derechos para todos, por asi por que decir ya basta!” [There are no rights for us all and for this reason we say no more! ] said Celina Benitez of CISPES (Los Angeles, CA).
This rally is one of several concluding events programmed under the TIC and the Third International Assembly for Migrants and Refugees, whose delegates are preparing for the departure of The Caravan for the Dignity of Migrants heading to Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta.
###
We held an action today at the Mexican Department of International Relations (Secretaria de Relaciones Externas SRE.) Here’s a sneak peek of how things went. Check back soon for the official press release on the mobilization!
For immediate release November 7, 2010 Contact: Katie Joaquin, IAMR3 Media/Publicity Committee (044) 559-104-7318 Celebration of kultura and victorious cries of Madres de Honduras open the 3rd International Assembly of Migrant Rights [MEXICO CITY] Migrants, refugees, families of the disappeared and massacred, workers, youth, and people of all ages from over 15 countries united last night in a celebration of culture and the advances of the movement for migrant and refugee rights. Fernando “Ictus” Medina, one of the first performers, drew participants in with every strum of his guitar, inviting them to envision a world where borders no longer confine people to misery. The cultural night is key in grounding everyone before for the long week and the much longer fight ahead. The madres of the desaparecidos de Honduras [Mothers of the Honduran disappeared] brought great news of a daughter who, after 20 years of searching for her mother, was finally reunited with her today. There were over 10,000 desaparecidos in Honduras in 2009 and even more this year. One madre said, “We are mothers who don’t give up. We keep fighting and searching.” Another chimed in, “It doesn’t stop because one family was reunited. It continues all the way to Puerto Vallarta to the GFMD. [Desaparecidos] are not just an issue for Honadurenos, they are an issue for all of us.” Another performer, Sonido Meztizo, brought the crowd to their feet as she sang “yo soy paz” (I am peace). She emphasized the importance of unity from the global north to the global south present in this assembly. Cultural workers with the Philippine contingent held photos of 43 illegally imprisoned health workers in the Philippines, chanting kalayaan and demanding their freedom.. Another performer, Eric “ET” Tandoc, reminded participants of the roots of migration and the reasons they were torn from their homelands, rapping, “We would have never left if colonies were never there.” Enrique Mejia, organizer of the cultural night said, “Kultura es importante para denunciar la situacion de los inmigrantes. Pero kultura no solo es para denunciar sino tambien para vivir.” [Celebrating culture is important to denounce the situation of immigrants. But culture allows us not only to denounce, but also to live.] And live the participants did, as they shouted along with folklorico dancers, stood silent listening to the stories of the madres and moved their feet to the beats of the musicians, a welcome release amidst the struggles to come in the growing fight for migrant and refugee rights. Eni Lestari, chair of the International Migrants Alliance, set the tone for the rest of the week’s activities, saying, “It costs over 3,000 pesos to travel here and the journey is tiring. But we are committed to fight our enemies, build solidarity, and start a movement of migrants across the world.” The cultural night followed the close of the International Tribunal of Conscience, where migrants and refugees from throughout Latin America presented the situation of migrants and refugees in their home countries. Cases were presented on the 72 massacred migrants from Honduras and other countries of Central and Latin America; human trafficking in the Philippines and Columbia; the struggle of Mapuchis in Mexico; and detention centers in ‘Fortress Europe.’ The tribunal ended with statements from organizations of mothers looking for their disappeared loved ones, demanding accountability from the Mexican government for the harrowing experiences of each victim. The verdict will be presented at the IAMR3, starting today. Lestari concluded her speech at the cultural opening of the assembly by saying, “We are ready to fight until we win our battle against our enemy, the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD). We will never give up our fight as long as the GFMD exists.” ##
