Zapatista Network Call

To the compañer@s in every corner of the so-called US and Canada,

To all the peoples of the continent named America,

To the struggling Peoples of the Global South and the world,

To all the adherents of the Sixth Declaration, the Other Campaign, and the
International Campaign,

To the national and international alternative press

We, the Zapatista Network, are reaching out as a newly emerging “network of
networks” to invite companer@s in the so-called U.S. and Canada to “walk
together” as Zapatista grassroots and community-based groups who support the
Zapatistas and are inspired by Zapatismo. Our intent has been to create
spaces of
encounter so that diverse groups can share ideas, resources and projects
as part
of a larger process to strengthen each collectives’ work, solidarity
efforts, and
rebellion. We also aim to promote and support the formation of new Zapatista
inspired collectives. By saying “network of networks” we propose one of many
overlapping webs of resistance taking place all over the world.

Since January 1, 1994 when the EZLN declared ¡Ya Basta! Mexican and
International
Civil Society have responded in solidarity creating a broad base of
support. The
Zapatistas’ commitment to encounter and dialogue has made it possible to
collectively imagine “a world where many worlds fit.” Some communities
working in
solidarity with the Zapatistas have responded with aid, while others used
direct
action to help halt the military and state repression, drawing attention
to the
low intensity war directed against the Zapatistas. The response to the
Zapatista
rebellion has been unique not only in its diversity but its intensity.
Solidarity
efforts have served to keep people informed, provide material support, and
protest the cruel excesses of military and state repression. More
importantly,
communities around the world and in the US have pursued their own resistance
locally, attempting to imagine and realize a different way of doing politics.

In August 2004 the Committee of Indigenous Solidarity-DC-Zapatistas sent
out a
call to form a zapatista network in the U.S. and Canada that was initially
referred to as red “Plan Morelia-Polo Norte” (in response to and in
solidarity
with the Plan La Realidad-Tijuana in Mexico). This call was made in order to
construct one avenue of many for zapatista inspired groups in this region of
America to dialogue and construct networks of support. Of the Zapatista
related
collectives and groups who responded to this initial call, we began talking
together about encuentro, Zapatismo, Zapatista solidarity and how to reach
out to
others so that we all know that we are not alone.

Latin America's Autonomous Organizing

By Marie Trigona

Activists met in Uruguay for the fourth Latin American Conference of Popular Autonomous Organizations in February. Over 300 activist
delegates from Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Uruguay organized this year's annual event as a space to strategize autonomous
organizing and coordinate direct actions. This year's conference, held February 24-26, focused on building popular power in Latin America among organizations autonomous from the state, political parties and NGO's.

The participating organizations orient towards class struggle and
libertarian practices-grass roots organizing, direct democracy and mutual solidarity. Within the debate of how to build popular power, delegates discussed how people can solve their own problems without depending on the state or any other institution. The current context of Latin American governmental politics emerged as a focal point
during the two-day meeting. In each of the corresponding nations,
social organizations have faced new challenges due to the resurgence of "progressive" social democratic victories. Take, for example, the case of Uruguay's social movements. Many of Uruguay's social movements have demobilized after the inauguration of Tabare Vazquez. All eyes looked to Bolivia with the recent victory of MAS leader, Evo Morales. In all of the workshops, participants discussed how to prevent growing expectations in social democratic governments from impeding the
accumulation of popular power.

Everything at the congress was auto-gestionado (self-managed), from the olla popular (collectively cooked meal) to cleaning and
maintenance. Artists performed spontaneous theatre and Afro-Uruguayan popular music, Candome, into the wee-hours of the night. The 200
participants represented a diverse array of activist work and focuses that included human rights groups, community centers, alternative
media outlets, anarchist organizations, unemployed worker
organizations, student groups, popular education teams, movement of card board collectors, and several worker unions participating. Beyond each group's focus, activists within each country are working to
create venues for political formation and popular education as part of a larger plan for an anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist Latin America.