The Trinational Coalition protesting Guerrero student murders at the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles

For details on the protest and its demands, see this earlier post: Trinational to protest student murders in Guerrero on October 8th. Consider joining the Trinational Coalition in Defense of Public Education.

PETITION

Please sign the petition.

Justice for the 43 Disappeared Mexican Students http://t.co/4v01zFCxeb

— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) October 8, 2014

The Trinational Coalition protesting Guerrero student murders at the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles

Trinational to protest student murders in Guerrero on October 8th

The Trinational Coalition for the Defense of Public Education protest of student murders in Guerrero
Wednesday, October 8, 2014 at 4:00pm
Mexican Consulate
2401 W. 6th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90057

There will be nationwide protest in Mexico about the murders and disappearance of the normalistas (students at teacher training college) in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero, this Wednesday, October 8th starting at 4:00 pm Mexico City time. In Mexico, most protesters will be wearing black. The US section of the Trinational is asking that you protest at the nearest Mexican consulate or interest section to where you live. In Los Angeles, we will go to the consulate around 4:00pm. The address is: 2401 West 6th Street, Los Angeles, 90057. It’s right across from McArthur Park and the cross street is Parkview. It can be reached by the red and purple metro lines.

I’m attaching a fact sheet and a copy of the letter that the Trinational(all 3 countries) is sending which you can use as a rubric for a letter that you, your organization or union can send. The teachers unions in Ontario and British Columbia are sending letters and 3 officers from CTU have signed the Trinational letter. You can also go to the Trinational Coalition to Defend Public Education USA group for more in formation from Mexico; mostly in Spanish, some in English. Also Al Jazeera and TeleSur in english as well.

Here are the demands that are being used in Mexico:

1. Presentación con vida de los 43 estudiantes normalistas desaparecidos.
2. Destitución y castigo al gobernador de Guerrero Angel Aguirre y al presidente municipal de Iguala, José Luis Abarca Velázquez por su responsabilidad en el asesinato y desaparición de los estudiantes normalistas.
3. Condenamos la  complicidad y tolerancia del gobierno de Enrique Peña Nieto con los grupos paramilitares que actúan impunemente asesinando luchadores sociales.
4. Alto a la represión al magisterio democrático y al pueblo de México. Libertad a los presos políticos.
5. Vivos se lo llevaron, vivos los queremos.

Rough translation:

1. Return the 43 Normal students alive
2. Remove and punish Angel Aguirre, the Governor of Gurrero, and Jose Luis Abarca Velazquez, the municipal president of Iguala, for their responsibility in the murder and disappearance of the normalista students
3. We condemn the complicity and tolerance of the Enrique Peña Nieto government with the paramilitary groups that murdered the social activists with impunity
4. Stop the repression of democratic teachers and the Mexican people. Free the political prisoners.
5. They were taken alive, we want them alive! OR They were taken alive, we want them back alive!

It still has not been officially proven that the disappeared students are dead, so the demand is to return them alive.

In solidarity,
Rosemary

Accion Urgente Estudiantes Mexico Trinational to protest student murders in Guerrero on October 8th by Robert D. Skeels

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UPDATE: There's a petition now.

Justice for the 43 Disappeared Mexican Students http://t.co/4v01zFCxeb

— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) October 8, 2014

Trinational to protest student murders in Guerrero on October 8th

Schools Matter: Trinational protest at Mexican Consulate in solidarity with CNTE

First published on Schools Matter on September 22, 2013

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Protesting education neoliberalism across borders. En solidaridad con Los maestros de Mexico! #lausd pic.twitter.com/t8sunJeLP6

— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) September 21, 2013

On Friday, September 20, 2013 the Trinational Coalition To Defend Public Education organized a demonstration in front of the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Mexico to protest the repression of the Mexican teachers and attempts to privatize public education in Mexico.

My tumblr photoset of the protest

Trinational posted some photos on their facebook page

Trinational Coalition To Defend Public Education-USA, Southern California Immigration Coalition (SCIC), Movimiento Estudiantíl Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA) de Maya Angelou HS, serveral members of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), and other groups were on hand. Some young women drove all the way from Oxnard California to voice their support.

Commuters passing by honked in support as we repeated various chants like "la lucha obrera, no tienes frontera," and "¡Maestros unidos, jamás serán vencidos!"

Some good English language articles discussing the struggle are Mexican teachers expand strike and Teachers take a stand in Mexico.

Schools Matter: Trinational protest at Mexican Consulate in solidarity with CNTE

Solidarity picket for Mexican teachers today 9/20/2013

Please join the Trinational Coalition to Defend Public Education in a picket of the Mexican Consulate, 

to protest the repression of the Mexican teachers and attempts to privatize public education in Mexico.

Where: The Consulate is at 2401 W 6^th St., at the NW corner of McArthur Park.

There is a Metro stop at Westlake/MacArthur Park Station on both the Red and Purple lines.

When: Friday (9/20) -- 3:30-5:30 pm

Please put the word out to all appropriate lists and activists, and tell your colleagues!

(See some suggested slogans at end of this letter)

Just as the government here has been pushing for a so-called reform of public education, which will

ultimately allow corporations to turn education into a business, the Mexican teachers and students

face the same attack only much more extreme.  The Mexican government has actually CHANGED 

THE CONSTITUTION to:

* use standardized tests to determine if teachers can be hired or maintain their

   jobs

* cut federal funding of the schools so that local schools and communities have to find their own

   sources of money- opening the schools up to private entities

*use standardized test to  evaluate all students, which will have the most negative impact on the poorest

  states which also have the largest number of indigenous students who often do not even speak Spanish.

The teachers of CNTE (the democratic alternative to SNTE, the corrupt national teachers union,  are on strike

in Oaxaca, Guerrero and Michoacan and have been marching and protesting in 25 of Mexico's 31 states and in Mexico City.  

CNTE members in the multi-state occupation of the Zocalo were violently removed by federal police on Sept. 14th and have been

attacked in other states.  CNTE members have regrouped in the capital and have been joined by students from UNAM 

and  other universities who voted for a 2-day boycott of their classes.  Other citizens have joined with them as well, especially

in the face of the governments plan to open up Pemex, Mexico's national oil company to privatization.

Protests are occurring at Mexican consulates and  embassies in a number of countries and here in New York City.

Letters of solidarity can be sent to: 

Coalicion Trinacional en Defensa de la Educación Publica- Mexico

seccionmexicana.coali@gmail.com.  The Mexican section do the Trinational will translate

them if necessary & circulate them in Mexico. 

Letters of protest can be sent to: 

MTRO. ENRIQUE PEÑA NIETO

Presidente Constitucional de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos

enrique.penanieto@presidencia.gob.mx

LIC. OSORIO CHONG MIGUEL ANGEL

Secretario de Estado

secretario@segob.mx

  

LIC. CHUAYFFET CHEMOR EMILIO

Secretaria de Educación Pública

emilio.chuayffet@sep.gob.mx

SLOGANS:

*STOP GOVERNMENT ATTACKS AGAINST TEACHERS AND EDUCATION

*STOP THE CRIMINALIZATION OF THE TEACHERS' STRUGGLE TO DEFEND EDUCATION

*END THE REPRESSION OF TEACHERS

*AN IMMEDIATE SOLUTION THROUGH AN HONEST DIALOGUE WITH CNTE

*NO PRIVATIZATION OF EDUCATION IN MEXICO

*PROTECT THE LABOR & HUMAN RIGHTS OF EDUCATION WORKERS, STUDENTS AND PARENTS

*STOP CUTS TO EDUCATION FUNDING IN MEXICO

*WE SUPPORT THE RIGHT TO TO DEMOCRATIC EDUCATION REFORM BY AND FOR THE PEOPLE

*STOP THE PRIVATIZATION OF EDUCATION IN MEXICO AND THE USA

 *THEIR STRUGGLE IS OUR STRUGGLE

                   MEXICO -  USA

*              MEXICAN TEACHERS

  YOUR STRUGGLE IS OUR STRUGGLE

*EDUCATION IS NOT A CLASS PRIVILEGE

                 IT'S A HUMAN RIGHT

*PUBLIC EDUCATION IS NOT FOR SALE

   YOUR STRUGGLE IS OUR STRUGGLE

In solidarity,

Rosemary Lee * Marc Rich

for Trinational Coalition to Defend Public Education-USA

Solidarity picket for Mexican teachers today 9/20/2013

LA Schools Matter: Trinational Coalition's statement of support for teachers in Mexico

LETTERS TO THE GOVERNMENT CAN BE SENT TO:
LIC. ENRIQUE PEÑA NIETO
Presidente Constitucional de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos
enrique.penanieto@presidencia.gob.mx

LIC. OSORIO CHONG MIGUEL ANGEL
Secretario de Estado
secretario@segob.mx

LIC. CHUAYFFET CHEMOR EMILIO
Secretaria de Educación Pública
emilio.chuayffet@sep.gob.mx

SEND COPIES TO:
seccionmexicana.coali@gmail.com
Maestra Graciela Rangel de Michoacán sección XVIII: rasagas@live.com
Prof. Eligio Hernández de Oaxaca XXII: eligiogonzalez@hotmail.com

We stand in solidarity with the teachers of CNTE in Mexico who are calling upon the government for a genuine dialogue, that their demands be acknowledged and that violent repression not be used against the nationwide movement in defense of public education as it was today in Mexico City. The rights to assemble and express legitimate concerns are rights that are inalienable rights that are part of the civil and democratic freedoms for which humanity has fought and died for during the last two centuries.

WHEREVER POSSIBLE, ORGANIZE DEMONSTRATIONS IN FRONT OF MEXICAN CONSULATES AND TAKE PHOTOS TO BE SENT TO THE SAME ADDRESSES AS THE COPIES OF PROTEST LETTERS. Even a photo of 5 people in front of a consulate is a tremendous morale booster for our brothers and sisters fighting against the destruction of teacher unions & public education!

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/police-end-teachers-city-protest-29578115.html

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Hi all,

Here is a copy of the letter that the US section of the Trinational Coalition to Defend Public Education to Defend Public Education send to the protesting teachers in Mexico. Use it as a template and send copies to:
seccionmexicana.coali@gmail.com
Maestra Graciela Rangel de Michoacán sección XVIII: rasagas@live.com
Prof. Eligio Hernández de Oaxaca XXII: eligiogonzalez@hotmail.com

MEXICO D.F., MEXICO
September 13, 2013

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Trinational Coalition to Defend Public Education-USA extends our support for your valiant and militant struggle to defend not just your rights as teachers and trade unionists, but the Mexican people's right to a public education that is guaranteed in your federal constitution. We applaud your courageous resistance against implementation of the present changes in the constitution which would use standardized tests for teachers to be hired and to keep their jobs, standardized tests for students that will limit their future opportunities in life as well as reducing federal funding to state and local schools. These changes will have the worst impact on the poorest states and communities, especially those whose population mainly speak languages other than Spanish.

We face similar attacks in the United States of America under the guise of “reform”. Your struggle for educational and union justice is an inspiration to us about how teachers and communities can unite to defend public education. You have clarified for the world that the forces behind these so-called reforms are powerful corporate interest that intend to privatize public education.

YOUR STRUGGLE IS OUR STRUGGLE!
In solidarity,
Rosemary Lee,

for

Trinational Coalition to Defend Public Education-section USA

LA Schools Matter: Trinational Coalition's statement of support for teachers in Mexico