Another Attempted Massacre in Guatemala as Thousands Block Roads on 517th Anniversary of Colombus´ Invasion

Another Attempted Massacre in Guatemala as Thousands Block Roads on 517th Anniversary of Colombus´ Invasion

October 12, 2009

For the third time in two weeks, peasant leaders affiliated with the Committee of Peasant Unity in Guatemala were targets of an attempted massacre. The attacks have left two dead and dozens injured by bullet wounds, including young children. Several people remain hospitalized in critical condition. Private security forces with close connections to the government are suspected to be responsable for all the attacks, but no arrests have been made.

Read more about today´s roadblocks at the GSP blog:

TAKE ACTION:

Send an email to Nery Morales, Guatemala Ministry of Interior Spokesman: neryberto8@yahoo.com

Sample message:
Dear Mr. Morales,
My name is _________ and I live in ___________. I am extremely concerned about the continued attacks against community leaders in Guatemala associated with the Committee of Peasant Unity (CUC). I ask that a thorough and immediate investigation be conducted to punish the intellectual authors of these crimes as soon as possible. I believe that if these crimes remain in impunity it will be a sign that the Guatemalan government is giving a green light to parellel forces to attack leaders associated with CUC. I will continue to follow the situation.
Sincerely,
___________________







I arrived at the Cubil roadblock at about 5:30 am, later than I had hoped to. CUC had sealed off this intersection in northern Guatemala at 4am, one of five major roads in the country that were being blocked in protest of the Government´s support of multinational corporations in the face of rising poverty and violence in peasant communities.

¨This October 12, date in which we commemorate the begining of the indigenous resistance to the European invasion, we mobilize to denounce that the invaders of always are now coming in the name of multinational corporations... they are invading our communities to take our riches. Mining copanies destroy our forests and our mountains... Oil spills destroy our water sources so that corporations can bring black gold to move machines and cars in wealthy countries...¨ read part of their press release.





CUC set up a series of blockades, primarily rocks and tree stumps. In the above photo, the sign reads ¨Community Rio Cristalino, CUC, Present in the Struggle for the Mother Earth.¨ Last month over 500 police and soldiers invaded the community, destroying houses and crops and telling residents to leave.



By 9:00 the message came that CUC leaders had been shot at at a roadblack near the capital. In Cubil CUC decided to spread the word person to person instead of over the microphone so as to not cause a sudden panick. ¨We need to stay in groups, no one should go astray from the rest for any reason. We must remain vigilant,¨ was the message.





I had the opportunity to hear national CUC leader Hermelindo Cux Choc speak for the first time(in background in above photo), which was a great experience. Although he mostly spoke in Qeqchi, it was powerful to see the crowd become silent as they listened intently to his words. At one point he switched to Spanish. ¨I am a leader and I will always be a leader. I am not going to let these acts of intimidation make me back down. I will be a leader until the day I die.¨

I will post updates later this week.