Urgent update: three anarchist comrades arrested in Mexico, detained without bail, now facing charges of property destruction, and possibly organized crime, sabotage, and terrorism.
Call for International Solidarity this Friday, January 10, and next Friday, January 17th.
On the night of January 5th, Carlos – a comrade from Mexico, and Amelie and Fallon – two comrades from Canada, were arrested in relation to a Molotov attack on the Ministry of Communication and Transportation and a Nissan dealership in Mexico City. The three have since been held in detention and have limited contact with anyone, including their lawyer, and Amelie and Fallon have also been visited by the Canadian consulate. Though they were initially accused of property destruction, the three may now face additional charges of sabotage, organized crime, and terrorism. If these charges are brought forward, bail will not be possible and deportation for the two from Canada is highly unlikely. All three would then be held until trial without the possibility of release. Due to the possibility of their charges falling under the anti-terrorism law, there is a 48-hour extension to how long the comrades can be held by the Mexican Central Investigative Agency before their charges must be finalized – this extension has already been granted, and can be renewed several times.
These charges come at a time of intense crackdown by the Mexican state on anarchists; from attacks on demonstrations, torture of arrested comrades – including the torture and deportation of Gustavo Rodriguez, and barring the entry of Alfredo Bonanno. The state is now attempting to spin a narrative of foreigners coming in and causing disruption, thus ignoring and even erasing the rich history of anarchist struggle against the state in Mexico. Over the past few years in Mexico City, an insurrectionary anarchist struggle has intensified. Bombings of banks and churches, among other institutions of domination, have taken place frequently, and solidarity with insurrectionary anarchists in Mexico and worldwide has been central to these actions. We must recognize that the repression and penalization that comrades are facing now occurs in this context.
Regardless of the guilt or innocence of these specific comrades, we want to express solidarity, complicity, and a strong desire to see attacks on the state and capital continue and spread. In reality, the Canadians causing disruption in Mexico are the mining companies and military technologies; the same ones that exploit unceded Indigenous land in Canada and elsewhere around the world. Given that capitalist exploitation and misery knows no borders, the struggle against capitalism and the state apparatus must not stop at national borders. Our strength lies in our capacity to recognize the commonalities of our struggles so that they may spread, and to act in solidarity so that the struggles of our incarcerated comrades may continue.
We write this statement to express our deep solidarity with and love for our friends and comrades – Carlos, Amelie and Fallon. Although we are writing from a different context, it is critical that our solidarity is also with the struggle in which this action occurred. Our friends and comrades facing these charges are experiencing the intensity of repression. Our solidarity must meet that intensity with respect for where they stand, admiration for their strength, and a continuation of the struggle in Canada, Mexico, and globally.
Love and freedom to the 5e three,
Prisoners to the streets,
For freedom and anarchy,
-Friends in struggle
325 Collective