Zapatista Struggle Continues 16 Years Later

Today marks the sixteenth anniversary of the EZLN (Ejercito Zapatista Liberacion Nacional) uprising in Chiapas, Mexico. Mostly Mayan campesinos organized an armed uprising against an oppressive Mexican government, which negotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which the Zapatistas saw as a death sentence to their way of life.

For sixteen years the Zapatistas have fought government and economic repression and have created autonomous communities throughout Chiapas. The have built schools, clinics and created a cooperative model of living that has inspired millions around the world.

The Zapatistas have a rich history of struggle that has been well documented. We encourage everyone to become familiar with this history so that we might learn to struggle for our own liberation from war, racism and economic exploitation.

Here is video from a non-violent action that several thousands Zapatistas participated in on the anniversary of their uprising in 2001. People marched to a nearby military base to occupy it and demand that the soldiers leave.