Hello all,

this came from a zapatist mailing list via the Marxist Literary 
Group list, who, as you'll read, are trying to organise a collective 
response.  I think it's important that people on this list write in 
support of the strikers also, individually and/or collectively.

Maggie

------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Date:          Thu, 07 Feb 1980 09:52:42 -0800
From:          Barbara Foley <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:       Re: UNAM
To:            Pier Paolo Frassinelli <[log in to unmask]>
Cc:            [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask]
Reply-to:      [log in to unmask]
Organization:  Rutgers University

Pier Paolo Frassinelli wrote:
> 
> >> Repression in the National Autonomous University of
> >> Mexico.
> >>
> >>  At 7:00 am on Sunday 6th of February, the Federal
> >> Police entered
> >> the campus of the National Autonomous University of
> >> Mexico (UNAM), in
> >> violation of the constitutional autonomy of the
> >> university. They came to
> >> bring an end to the strike that has kept Mexico's
> >> principal university
> >> closed for over 9 months. 650 students were arrested
> >> in addition to the
> >> 347 arrested the previous Tuesday, including
> >> students under 18 years old.
> >> Many have been accused of crimes such as terrorism,
> >> rioting, robbery and
> >> criminal association, among others. Although some
> >> have been released there
> >> are still hundreds of apprehension orders for
> >> supporters of the strike.
> >> The last time that the authorities sized the UNAM
> >> campus, in 1968,
> >> hundreds of protesting students were killed by the
> >> army.
> >>
> >>  The current dispute began because the university
> >> authorities
> >> attempted to impose fees on university students, in
> >> violation of Article 3
> >> of the Mexican Constitution, which guarantees free
> >> education. The
> >> imposition of fees was a condition of a loan from
> >> the International
> >> Monetary Fund (IMF). Today, the future of the UNAM,
> >> as the most important
> >> institution of learning, investigation, and culture
> >> in Mexico, is under
> >> threat. Moreover, the government's flagrant abuses
> >> of Constitutional and
> >> human rights, suggests that this is an attempt to
> >> create a climate of fear
> >> around the presidential election to be held in July,
> >> it should be
> >> mentioned that the official party has held power,
> >> without interruption,
> >> for more than 70 years.
> >>
> >>  If you want to express your support to the Mexican
> >> university
> >> community, please sign the letter enclosed and send it to the following
> >adresses:
> >>
> >> Comision Nacional de Derechos Humanos <[log in to unmask]>,
> >Presidencia de la Republica <[log in to unmask]>,
> >Camara de Diputados <[log in to unmask]>,
> >Suprema Corte de Justicia <[log in to unmask]>,
> >Gobierno del Distrito Federal <[log in to unmask]>,
> >Asamblea del DF <[log in to unmask]>,
> >
mlg friends--

let me underscore the notion that we all take a few moments to write
letters in support of the UNAM strikers.  theirs is a critical class
struggle--many of the issues we've seen at CUNY, magnified.

jamie et al: what can we do *as mlg* to convey our collective support?

best to all,

barbara foley


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