ayotzinapa - presentation images final

[Univ. Name] with AyotzinapaSolidarity action – [insert date, time and place of event

Global Forum “Mexico and the Wound of the world”

– During the coming weeks, there will be solidarity actions in different universities from all over the world, known as Global Forum "Mexico: The wound of the world".

– This Solidarity Action taking place in [insert place] is part of the Global Forum. Universities all over the world will perform similar actions to raise awareness and pressure authorities and human rights organizations all over the world to seek justice in this case. We greatly appreciate your involvement in this urgent and tragic event.

Invitation to Participate

– At [insert name], we are having the solidarity action this coming [insert date], from [insert hours].

– We will gather outside [insert place] and then have a [insert description of activities, such a march, rally, informative session, panel, etc. ] [Peaceful march]: [insert details of such activity if there is one planned]  [Info session]: [insert details of such activity if there is one planned]

Details on the Event

–  We will share pictures, video and audio recordings of the different Forums, along with those of similar events from around the world. We will send all of this to Mexico, demanding the return of the students alive. If you would like to help in any way, please send us an email to:

[insert email contact from local coordinating group or coordinator]ayotzinapasomostodos@gmail.com

Contacts

For local info: [insert telephone number and email of contact or coordinator] For information in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish:

Web: ayotzinapasomostodos.wordpress.com  

Twitter: @43global Facebook: Ayotzinapa Somos TodXs

What happened in Ayotzinapa, Mexico?

– Students from the Rural School “Escuela Normal Rural Isidro Burgos” in Ayotzinapa were gunned down by local police on September 26, 2014, unarmed and having done nothing wrong. They went to Iguala, where they allegedly interfered in a political event hosted by José Luis Abarca, who ordered policemen to deal with the them. Policemen first and then a powerful cartel group known as Guerreros Unidos joined forces to annihilate the students.

– Three of them were killed in these shootings, along with three passersbyes who bore no relationship with them whatsoever.

– Afterwards, 43 students were kidnapped by local and state authorities, and they have been missing ever since.

The search for the 43 missing students

– Since then, the Mexican government has mobilized an enormous number of people to search for the missing students, but the families have reported that they are only looking for dead people, when the demand is to have them back alive. During their search, the government discovered a great number of mass graves with remains of people who are not the students.

What about the ongoing investigation the Federal Government is leading?

– On November 7, 2014, the Attorney General explained in a press conference –without scientific evidence– that allegedly the 43 students had been killed and then incinerated in a dump. Their murderers wanted to erase all trace of their existence.

What do the experts say?

– This version has been put into question by the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team, who have had least partial access of the evidence (thanks to the pressure the families and the Mexican and international society have exerted).

– They have stated that there is no scientific proof whether the remains found in the dump correspond or not to the missing students, and more reliable information after examination of the samples will take weeks to be available.

The rule of law in Mexico

– For many years, local forces have done anything in the state of Guerrero to secure the life of its inhabitants. Organized crime has co-opted or forced authorities to offend with impunity.

– This case has revealed the severity of the crisis in human rights and security currently undergone by the Mexican government, as well as the extent of its corruption and incapacity to deal with this kind of problems.

Who is responsible?

– Mexico has suffered from an extremely violent period that started at least 8 years ago, when former president Felipe Calderon declared the "war on drugs" with the aid of the U.S. Government.

– After probably the death of an estimated 120,000 killed victims, 25,000 disappearances and millions of dollars spent by the Mexican and U.S. governments, the drug war has not changed a thing, nor have the recent strategies adopted by the PRI president Enrique Peña Nieto, who is now serving his second year as head of the State.

– Mexico and the U.S. share responsibility in the narco violence: the U.S. is the biggest consumer drug market for the cartels, as well as providing it with weapons.

Why are there so many protests against the government right now?

– The people of Mexico are now questioning the continuous structural violence and corruption in the country.

– They also question the slowness and disdain from the authorities to solve this case and to procure justice, despite the fact that it has become a cause of global concern, with millions of people outside Mexico following the news, and hundreds of them participating in acts of solidarity.

Solidarity with Ayotzinapa