Mexico: Weekly Newsletter
We share an unofficial translation of the excerpt on Mexico within the Weekly newsletter by Sol Rojo:
On March 15, a national day of vigil and mourning was called following the macabre discovery at Rancho Izaguirre in the municipality of Teuchitlán, Jalisco.
According to a report published by Periódico Mural, “The initial discovery made by the searching families is shocking; at first, at least 400 pairs of shoes—both men’s and women’s—were documented, along with clothing, caps, bags, backpacks, among other objects. Additionally, the existence of at least three cremation ovens, bones, and even some notes, farewell messages, and lists with the victims’ nicknames were found. A true Mexican Auschwitz.” This, along with the absurd response from Sheinbaum, who tries to downplay the event by inferring that it is a setup “based on a photograph or some testimonies,” or asking that “they leave AMLO alone,” has provoked a great wave of national indignation not only among various groups of searching mothers and the people’s movement but also among broad sectors of the population, including Moreno supporters and the unorganized masses.
In this regard, the response of millions of people who mobilized across the country this Saturday, driven by the anger and pain of the searching mothers, has resonated in the capitals of all 32 states of the republic and the main cities of the country, holding memorials with candles and shoes, and putting faces and names to the 124,000 Mexicans who have disappeared to date.
The epicenter of the actions was Guadalajara, where thousands of people from Jalisco lit candles and demanded the dismissal of Governor Pablo Lemus (MC), whom they accuse of covering for his predecessor Enrique Alfaro and the municipal president of Teuchitlán, José Murguía (both also from MC), as well as maintaining the entire staff of the previous governor in the Prosecutor’s Office. This action was also replicated in the city of Oaxaca amid the growing governance crisis in the state, where according to official numbers from the State prosecutor’s office, at least 746 people are reported missing, although the searching families’ groups assert that the number is over 2,000 and continues growing.
Among the most well-known disappearance cases in the State are those of Doctor in Law Ernesto Sernas García (a member of the Current of the People – Red Sun) and human rights defenders Sandra Estefána Domínguez Martínez, Irma Galindo and Claudia Uruchurtu; hundreds of candles formed the prayer “Oaxaca is in mourning – Teuchitlán.” In Mexico City, the day took on a massive character with thousands and thousands of candles, shoes, and other items symbolizing the discovery at the extermination camp. Additionally, the searching mothers staged a representation of this camp in the main square and confronted Sheinbaum, asking her: “President, do you see us now?” in reference to the presidential omissions and indifference towards the victims of disappearance; there were also some confrontations between young students and anti-riot police who protected the National Palace with metal barriers, which were removed by activists.
The war against the people in Mexico increasingly makes it clear that the solution will not come from the old State or its rotten system of justice procurement and administration, but from below, where there is a need to build a United Front against reaction. Teuchitlán never again! Doctor Ernesto Sernas García, alive presentation! Because they took them alive, we want them alive!
