The Words of Delegate Zero in Atenco, July 11

Was it worth it to give solidarity to all those people who felt alone because they were just a few and because they had to confront the authorities? Were all those days in prison, the beatings, worth it?

By Subcomandante Marcos
The Other Mexico

July 15, 2006

Words of Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos – Atenco – July 11th

Companeros, Companeras, People of Atenco,

We bring you a greeting from the men, women, children and elders of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN). We want to tell you that we continue in our commitment to fight alongside you all for liberty and justice for the political prisoners of the 3rd and 4th of May. We want to inform you all as well that the Other Campaign has called mobilizations and acts of solidarity demanding the liberty of the prisoners in the 32 federal entities of the Republic and also to inform you that in 52 countries in the world there are actions taking place in solidarity with our imprisoned compañeros and compañeras.

There is a question that we ask of ourselves, of all of you, of us, everyone who is struggling down below every so often, we asked it of ourselves the Zapatista Army of National Liberation 22 years ago when there were only 6 of us, what after would be called the EZLN, we again asked it on the first days of January ’94 when they attacked us with helicopters, planes, tanks, with all the force of the federal army. We again asked it of ourselves in ’95 when the government betrayed us and the armies entered into our communities, every time that we have problems we ask ourselves this question, like you did of yourselves 4 years ago, when they began to attack you for defending your land, like you did again afterwards, the 5th of May of this year, after the pressure of the 3rd and 4th that you suffered as a town and as communities.

And this question that we always ask ourselves is if it is worth it, every time we have problems, difficulties, deaths, wounds, disappearances, prisoners, we ask ourselves if it is worth it and every time we answer ourselves, sometimes just a few, sometimes many, that yes, it is worth it.

A day is going to arrive, maybe it is in the morning, in the afternoon or in the night, maybe it is raining or it is clear and here in this weather will be Ignacio de Valle, we’re going to see him skinnier than before because of his days in prison and you all, the people of Atenco, you’re going to ask him: Listen, Nacho, was it worth it? Was it worth it to give solidarity to all those people that felt alone because they were few and because they had to confront the authorities? Were all those days in prison, the beatings, worth it?

There will be the family of Alexis and also you will ask them if it was worth it that Alexis died, that he was hurt here in the streets of Atenco by a grenade from the government of the state of Mexico and some time later died. And there will also be the other prisoners but now freed, and you will ask them as well if it was worth it the beatings, the aggressions, the rapes and we are sure that they, that Nacho, will joke around, as they tend to joke around, but that they will tell you the truth: Yes, it was worth it.

And each time we have to rise up until one day we are able to see the children and the elders without this darkness, without this fear and this grief and then they won’t ask that question anymore but we will answer it for ourselves when we see them, when we see that they are free, when the land is again for those who work it, when the businesses are again for the laborers and employed who work in them, that the banks are run not by the big businessmen but by the people, when, finally, that wealth is for those that produce it and so each one of us will answer for ourselves that question: Yes, it was worth it.

We know that it has been difficult, that the compañeros and compañeras, principally women and principally youth over whom it has fallen the responsibility to not leave the prisoners alone, are executing it with exactness despite the many pressures they have against them. We, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation made a commitment the same day that you were attacked, that we would do everything that was within our reach to achieve the liberty of these compañeros. We have followed the testimonials by the lawyers that are watching, there are judicial possibilities, the detentions, everything that was done was illegal not to mention illegitimate, it is a question of continuing in the political mobilizations to continue pressuring the government so that justice is done and these compañeros and compañeras are set free.

Now, on this day, when already they have begun to placate the storm clouds up above, those of the elections, we come to tell you compañeros and compañeras of Atenco that we are going to continue with you all and we will continue until the day that Nacho is set free and until the day that along with all the brothers and sisters of all the Republic we see the sun rise with out being ashamed and with out being pained, we will be together compañeros and compañeras, like in this march today, like in this act today, and maybe we’ll go have a coffee or suddenly a drink and we’ll be seeing each other and we’ll smile and without asking ourselves the question we’ll say to ourselves: Yes, it was worth it.

Thank you compañeros. Thank you compañeras.

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