The following declaration, "Against Neo-liberalism and for Humanity", was issued from the indigenous community of La Realidad in Chiapas by the Zapatista Army of National Liberation. The Democratic Socialism '96 conference in Sydney April 5-6 will be taking up specifics of the EZLN appeal.
To the people of the world:
Brothers and Sisters: During the last years, the power of money has presented a new mask over its criminal face. Disregarding borders, with no importance given to races or colours, the power of money humiliates dignities, insults honesties and assassinates hopes. The historic crime in the concentration of privileges, wealth and impunities is renamed "neo-liberalism". It democratises misery and hopelessness.
A new world war is being fought, against humanity. As in all world wars, what is being sought is a new distribution of the world. They call this modern war which assassinates and forgets "globalisation". The new organisation of the world consists in concentrating power in power and misery in misery.
The new organisation of the world excludes "minorities". The indigenous, youth, women, homosexuals, lesbians, people of colour, immigrants, workers, peasants: the majority who make up the basements of the world are disposable, as far as those in power are concerned. The new organisation of the world excludes the majorities. The modern army of financial capital and corrupt governments advances, conquering in the only way it is capable of. By destroying. The new organisation of the world destroys humanity.
The new organisation of the world has only one place for money and its servants. Men, women and machines become equal in servitude and in being disposable. The lie governs and it multiplies itself in means and methods. A new lie is sold to us as history. The lie about the defeat of hope, the lie about the defeat of dignity, the lie about the defeat of humanity. The mirror of power offers us an equilibrium in the balance scale: the lie about the victory of cynicism, the lie about the victory of servitude, the lie about the victory of neo-liberalism.
Instead of humanity, it offers us stock market indexes, instead of dignity it offers us globalisation of misery, instead of hope it offers us an emptiness, instead of life it offers us the international of terror.
Against the international of terror representing neo-liberalism, we must raise the international of hope. Hope, above borders, languages, colours, cultures, sexes, strategies and thoughts, of all those who prefer humanity alive. The international of hope. Not the bureaucracy of hope, not the opposite image and, thus, the same as that which annihilates us. Not the power with a new sign or new clothing. A breath like this, the breath of dignity. The flower of hope. The song of life.
Dignity is the nation without nationality, the rainbow that is also a bridge, the murmur of the heart no matter what blood pumps through it, the rebel irreverence that mocks borders, customs and wars. Hope is the rejection of conformity and defeat.
Life is what they owe us: the right to govern and to govern ourselves, to think and act with a freedom that is not exercised through the slavery of others; the right to give and receive what is just. For all this, along with those who, beyond borders, races and colours, share the song of life, the struggle against death, the flower of hope and the breath of dignity, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation speaks.
To all who struggle for human values of democracy, liberty and justice.
To all who force themselves to resist the world crime known as "neo-liberalism", who aim for humanity and who hope to be better, be synonymous with "future".
To all individuals, groups, collectives, movements, social, civic and political organisations, neighbourhood associations, cooperatives, all the lefts known and to be known; non-governmental organisations, groups in solidarity with struggles of the world people, bands, tribes, intellectuals, indigenous people, students, musicians, workers, artists, teachers, peasants, cultural groups, youth movements, alternative communication media, ecologists, tenants, lesbians, homosexuals, feminists, pacifists.
To all human beings without a home, without land, without work, without food, without health, without education, without freedom, without justice, without independence, without democracy, without peace, without tomorrow.
To all who, with no regard to colours, race or borders, make of hope a weapon and a shield.
We call you together to the First Intercontinental Gathering for Humanity and Against Neo-liberalism, to be celebrated between the months of April and August of 1996 in all five continents. Continental preparation assemblies will be held in April 1996 in Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania and the Americas. The Intercontinental Gathering for Humanity and Against Neo-liberalism will take place from July 27 to August 3 of 1996, in the Zapatista "Aguascalientes", Chiapas, Mexico. The agenda will cover the economic, political, social and cultural aspects of life under neo-liberalism, resistance, struggle and proposals for struggle against neo-liberalism and for humanity.
The preparation meetings in Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania will be organised by the Committees in Solidarity with the Zapatista Rebellion, related organisations and citizens groups interested in the struggle against neo-liberalism and for humanity. We call upon groups of all countries to work united in the organisation and achievement of the preparation assemblies. The Intercontinental Gathering for Humanity and Against Neo-liberalism will be organised by the EZLN and by citizens and Mexican non-governmental organisations that will be made known in opportune time.
Accreditation for the preparation assemblies in the five continents will be made by the organising committees formed in Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania and America, respectively. Accreditation for the gathering in Chiapas, Mexico, will be done by the committees in solidarity with the Zapatista rebellion, with the people of Chiapas and with the people of Mexico, in their respective countries; and in Mexico, by the organising commission, which will be made known in opportune time.
All details not fixed in this convocation will be resolved by the respective organising committees, regarding the continental preparation assemblies, and by the intercontinental organising committees regarding the gathering in Chiapas, Mexico.
Brothers and Sisters: Humanity lives in the chest of us all and, like the heart, it prefers to be on the left side! We must find it, we must find ourselves. It is not necessary to conquer the world. It is sufficient to make it new. Us. Today.
Democracy! Liberty! Justice! From the mountains of the Mexican South-east. Clandestine Indigenous Revolutionary Committee General Command of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation. Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos. January 1996.