As Mexican Caravan Heads East from Chicago: Confrontation at the Mexican Consulate

April 8, 2015 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us

From a reader:

The “Caravana43” closed its visit to Chicago on Monday, April 6 with a press conference and march to the Mexican consulate. The “43” refers to the 43 young Mexican students from a teachers college in southern Mexico who were brutally attacked by police, kidnapped and disappeared six months ago. The three prongs of the caravan are made up of fellow students who survived this horror and relatives of the others who disappeared. These are people from the rural poor in Mexico who have left their homes and jobs to travel thousands of miles through cities and towns in the United States, and will join up in Washington, DC and then head to the United Nations to demand that the students be returned alive, to demand justice. See other coverage about the caravan and the struggle at this website (Caravana 43 Arrives in Chicago, and Interview with Massacre Survivor: Caravana 43 Brings Ayotzinapa Students' Struggle to U.S.).

The march to the consulate became confrontational, when some of the people struggled to take the street and a pushing match with the Chicago cops ensued. An outpouring of anger and emotion burst out as people rallied in front of the entrance of the consulate. Many were moved to give short and heart-wrenching testimonies, and the consulate entrance was blocked for a time. Besides the caravaners, a woman from Juarez, Mexico who now lives in Chicago testified about the murders and disappearances of women in that northern Mexican state. A young woman who works at a legal aid service in Chicago spoke about sexual abuse by police in the local jails. And there were many others who spoke out.

Chicago cops protected the consulate, blocking people's attempts to enter and pushing people out of the street (although they didn't bust anyone). This really enraged some of the people—it was so outrageous to have these pigs blatantly defending the representatives of the murderous Mexican government. One of the activists spotted the Stolen Lives poster and came and got a copy, holding it up in the faces of the cops, and quite a few others did the same; it just became a part of the whole protest. There was controversy among middle forces who supported the caravan, with some of the union people blocking some of the younger people who were trying to enter the consulate. Others spoke out with a tenor that, while that wasn't the tactics that they would use, they defended the people who were. They said that they supported the more radical ones because they were fighting for Mexico.

People are wrestling with how to carry forward the struggle around the disappearances. One of the women who spoke out said, “This is not just about Mexico, this is about the world!”

Watch for and support the righteous efforts of this caravan as it heads through Michigan and other states en route to the United Nations.

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