Caravan 43 is a project of social movements linked to existing struggles in Mexico and Latin America, as well as struggles of immigrants in the United States. The idea was to bring to the U.S. the parents and classmates of the 43 students who were kidnapped by police on September 26, 2014 in Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico.
The Caravan was in 40 cities, in order to provide an international forum so that the parents could talk about their outrage at the disappearance of their children and educate workers and youth in the United States about the situation of violence and impunity that the government of Enrique Peña Nieto imposes in Mexico.
In addition, the Caravan aimed to expose Obama’s foreign policy in Mexico and Latin America, as it is behind the socio economic conditions that form the basis of violence. An example of that is the Merida Initiative, a joint security agreement between the two governments, that should supposedly combat drug trafficking, but is actually used to train and arm the Mexican Army and police, the same organizations that repress people’s struggles and murder social activists.
Workers’ Voice was present in several activities of Caravan 43 in California, and will continue to fight to change the situation in Mexico in favor of Mexican workers and students, and to de-fend the rights of workers and youth in the United States.
Our struggle is international!
The arrival of Ayotzinapa Caravan 43 in the United States has attracted the attention of the Latino community, especially Mexicans, nationwide. The Caravan was divided into three groups, each one going to a different region of the country (East Coast, Midwest and West Coast).
The reception given to Caravan 43 by the immigrant community in this country reveals the connection and inevitable tendency to unity in one process of mobilization of the Mexican working masses and the ones in the United States.
The strength of the mobilization of youth and Mexican workers that began on September 26, following the disappearance of 43 students, is now seeking to win the support of immigrant workers, and that way, the sympathy of the American working class.
This is possible because many workers and youth are aware that the policy of repression and misery of Enrique Peña Nieto is imposed by the US government, which demands heavy hand against the struggles of the exploited, in order to maintain over-exploitation and repression agreements such as NAFTA and Merida Initiative.
Out with Enrique Peña Nieto and his “Narco” government!
Having the crisis opened in Michoacan, Guerrero and other neighboring states with the emergence of the self-defense groups as a background, the events in Iguala occurred last September 26, when 43 Ayotzinapa students disappeared at the hands of local police.
The widespread repudiation of these events triggered a mobilization that quickly became national, uniting thousands of students, teachers, peasants, indigenous people and workers, who also rose against the government’s energy, education and tax re-forms, that largely sell the country to imperialism.
They came out to fight to demand justice for the 43 Ayotzinapa missing students and to other 20,000 missing and 100,000 dead in the last 10 years. Shouting “It was the Government!”, “It was the state!” and “Out EPN!”, the mobilization reached its peak at the end of last year and managed to open a crisis in the government, creating the conditions for EPN’s resignation.
Not a single vote to the parties of the regime in the electoral trap!
However, the end of year festivities and collaboration of union leaders and left parties with the PRI government, supported by PAN, PRD and the Green Party, prevented the movement from building a general strike, which if materialized would have put an end to EPN’s term. After that, the government managed to take a breath, and took the offensive. Although he could not wipe off the problem of the disappearance of the 43 students, the fact is that EPN has managed to defeat the nationwide mobilization and channel discontent through the elections.
The crisis continues in the states of Guerrero and Michoacan, where it is not clear whether or not there will be elections, but the fact is that in the rest of the country the same government-allied parties jostle positions. Morena, a split of the PRD, led by Manuel Lopez Obrador, intends to capitalize on discontent among young people, teachers and workers, thus preventing the emergence of a revolutionary party.
The task of such party would be to make clear that only fighting they would be able to defeat EPN and change the direction of the country, not through the elections. In the elections, a revolutionary party could present workers’ candidates with a fighting program, continuing the call to bring down EPN and all the bourgeois pro-imperialist parties, and install a socialist government supported by the exercise of workers’ democracy. The absence of a revolutionary party is allowing many activists to opt for abstention, losing the opportunity to present a fighting and socialist program.
No to Obama’s imperialist policy in Mexico!
The support Caravan 43 activists are seeking in America among the immigrant working class, and through immigrants, among the American working class, is a great opportunity, not only to build solidarity with our brothers in Mexico, but also to discuss our own problems and organize the struggle around the problems we face as immigrant and native workers.
We need to explain that the Obama administration is primarily responsible for the violence and misery in Mexico, Central and South America, because it is responsible for executing all imperialist foreign policy through free trade agreements and military cooperation in Mexico, like NAFTA and Merida Initiative.
Therefore, we demand that the Obama administration immediately stop economic aid to EPN’s government, US diplomatic relations with the Mexican government, shipment of arms and ammunition for the “war on drugs” and repression of Mexicans trying to cross the border to flee violence.
No to Obama’s attacks against immigrant and native workers in the US!
Obama is also implementing a very aggressive policy against immigrant workers and the American working class as a whole. The best solidarity we can give our fellow workers fighting in Mexico is not only to expose the crimes committed by the EPN government against the Mexican people. We must also go out to protest and denounce the attacks that the Obama administration itself imposes against racial minorities and workers in his own country.
We must continue to expose the millions of immigrants deported by Obama, especially Central American children. We have to keep exposing the police brutality against Blacks and Latinos. We must reject the starvation wages that the Obama administration imposes, especially among the more exploited and oppressed working class.
The most important lesson we should learn from the struggle experiences of Mexican workers and youth against the EPN government, is the urgency of building a mass movement in-dependent of the government and a revolutionary party to take power through mass mobilization, and build a government of the exploited and oppressed, a socialist government with workers’ democracy.
Therefore we Demand:
Independent investigation and severe punishment of perpetrators of the disappearance of the 43 students!
All support and solidarity with the struggles of Mexican workers and students!
Out Peña Nieto and his “Narco” Government! For a government of workers and the people!
Stop Obama’s imperialist policies in Latin America! No to NAFTA and Merida Initiative!
End of Obama’s financial, political and diplomatic sup-port to the Mexican government!
For a National Workers’ Movement independent of the Government and bosses!
For a revolutionary workers Party in Mexico and the U.S.!
