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Students and Punks Jailed in Mumia March Finally Released
>received and translated from brothers and sisters in mexico city:
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On December 11th, 98 people were jailed, participants in the March for Liberty for Mumia and in Solidarity with the Prisoners in Seattle. The march ended with a
confrontation in front the U.S. embassy.
19 of the prisoners were minors, 22 of them female, and the rest male. The minors were released on December 13th. The same day, in surprise police move carried out at
4:00 AM, the police special forces group GERI transported the detained in riot police vans. The prisoners travelled face-down and were beaten and threatened that they
were going to be moved to Military Camp #1, that they were going to be killed and that their bodies would be disappeared. (Military Camp #1 is infamous for the massacre
of students in 1968. It is said that it was there that the bodies of those massacred on October 2nd of that year were burried.)
Thirty minutes later, the prisoners arrived at the Northern Penitentiary. This jail, located in an isolated area in the north of the Federal District (Mexico City), is
surounded by gardens germinated by abandoned trash cans. Dozens of wild dogs roam the surrounding area without anyone bothering them. In the middle of all this, the
prison building appears to be the entrance to hell.
The prisoners believed themselves to by in Military Camp #1. You can understand the terror that some of them felt in their bones. The humiliation began.
First the were forced to walk in "duck formation." This consists in walking in a squatting position and making quacking sounds. Those who did not do it were forced to
kicks and punches. The walked and walked. One person fell from exhaustion and they grabbed him by the hair and dragged him around.
Later they were forced to stand with their hands held up high. They could not tell exactly how long this humiliation lasted.
After being beaten by the special forces group GERI, they were placed in the custody of the jail guards, who "welcomed" them with careful blows designed not to leave
marks.
A high bail had to be paid to free them.
Unions such as STUNAM, SITUAM, SME and the Pilots and Aviators showed their solidarity with large sums of money. Brigades were formed to solicit economic help from the
public, finally the money was raised.
On the evening of Wednesday December 15, hundreds of people met at the west exit of the prison known as 'la aduana' or 'customs.' They carried signs demanding the
release of the prisoners.
The anarchist punks were grouped together below a large banner of the Anarcist Black Cross. Each school yelled its chants, just as we did:
- "prisoners to the street - we demand their liberty
defeat the prisons - total amnesty!!"
- "Freedom to those imprisoned for struggle!!"
No to the jails of the murderous state, no more hiding of the errors of the system, no to the terrorist state that locks up those who rise above it and those who struggle
against it, we want no prisoners and we will fight. No more prisoners.
The energy was happy because that night all of the prisoners would be released. They came out in groups of five. Each school received their friends in their own way. The
punks were surrounded by a great chanting circle:
"cachun cachun hardcore
social revolution, punks!!"
or
"o-eh, o-eh, o-eh - free punks
o-eh, o-eh, o-eh - free punks!!"
An anarquist compa from the Acatlan school came out visibly hurt, another showing a left black eye. Another came out with his fist in the air shouting Anarchy. Another
jumped up and down with happiness for being free.
The yells and chants got more intense, and there was even a kind of competition between the punks and the students from CCH Vallejo. The latter yelled:
"Armando hold out, Vallejo is getting up"
while we yelled:
"Armando resist, your people are still here"
When he got out, one of his ribs was bothering him due to the beatings, but he still had to endure several hugs.
One punk who we didn't know recieved the same welcome. All were released.
The joy was immense. They were free - could this be true?
Those who were just-released were informed that they would have to appeat the following day to sign a document. They were told that they had recieved an "Auto de Formal
Prision," it could be said that they had been provisionally released.
Until when?
We don't know. What we are sure about is that whatever happens, as anarchists and punks we will be there.
viva Tierra y Liberatad (long live Land and Freedom)
Note:
The nights previous to the release, different schools of the UNAM had set up camps in front of the prison, and there was a camp formed by 30 punks from different
anarchist collectives. (Unidad Punk Libertaria, Rival, Pensamientos Unidos, Accion Libertaria, two people from the anarchist punk scene in Queretaro, from Letra Negra,
Mujeres Libertarias, from the old Cocina Popular collective and independent folks.)
We received and read solidarity messages from:
Anarchist punk collectives from Toluca, Oaxaca, Mazatlan, from Sylvi from Australia, Utha in the United States, and also Max Sanchez telephoned, an old militant anarchist
and professional mariachi musician from Sonara. To all of them, thank you.
********
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