In this second part of the Americas Program interview with Javier Sicilia on the road with the Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity, we talk about the federal government’s response to the peace movement. Sicilia notes that President Calderon seems to be heading toward a military/police state and responding to the call for peace with violence.
Note: this interview took place before the illegal break-in at the offices of the Paso del Norte Human Rights Center on June 7 by Federal Police. This action seems to underline many people’s fears that the government seeks to intimidate participants in the events.
LC: President Felipe Calderon has a made a series of declarations–starting with the military parade in Ciudad Juarez, then calling the federal police a ‘civic priesthood’, and now the campaign to recruit young people, young people without other options, for the federal police. Is this a response to the movement for peace?
JS: Yes, it’s a response–a bad response. As I’ve said a thousand times about President Calderon, whom I’ve had the chance to meet with twicetwo times, and throughout the mobilization effort, I have always said that he is not understanding: he is hearing, but not understanding. And their response to our search for peace, which this caravan is a part of, for dignity, which has been taken from us, and justice, which we don’t have, their answer is violence and the glorification of violence.
It seems that Calderon, and others in government, don’t have imagination for anything but violence– and that is terrifying. I’ve asked Calderon, and I won’t stop asking him, to send a good message. This message is just bad for everyone, it’s putting all of us in danger.
He seems to want to move toward a military state, which would be a terrifying state. Or a police state, which would be just as terrifying. This is the last chance we have to save democracy and the rule of law in this country. But not with violence or imposition or by ignoring the demands of the people.
2 Comments
Don LeBaron
It must be understood that Mexico was not a “democracy” but nationally a Republic. The republic exists to protect the people via the ejido system. The ejido system in its autonomy is the place where democracy should exist. This, before 1994 was the equation of liberty that existed in Mexico. Now it has been demolished.
Do folks think they will out do that. There exists no valid rule of law under the present system but a corrupted and tyrannical civil system based on arbitrary government. As long as the State and National determine civil law, rule of law will be Fascism.
It is critical to clarify words and phrases that now approach sentimentalism.
The present administration will never acknowledge that it represents the people. How could it? The people must first acknowledge their autonomy and through due process of law constitute the process of law. How will they do that when no one will tell them what they must do to return to liberty.
Which is easier. Repair the present system and re-establish the Republic based on the autonomy of the ejido system, or revolution?
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