AUT: "The Economist" on Social Centres' Chiapas Campaign

["FRANCO BARCHIESI" <029FRB@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The following, nasty article, filled with misrepresentations and
disinformation, was on the latest "The Economist". It's about the
recent visit to Chiapas by a group of Italian observers, mainly
comrades from the Social Centres and the "New" Communist Party. I
think such attention by one of the world "bibles" of neoliberalism is
highly indicative.

Franco


------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 10:10:26 -0500 (CDT)
From: "Harry M. Cleaver" <hmcleave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Chiapas 95 Moderators <chiapas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Articolo sull' Economist (fwd)

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Mexico

TOO MUCH

"YA BASTA", Mexico's Zapatist leader "Subcomandante Marcos" is fond of
saying: enough is enough. With good reason, as the massacre of 45
Amerindias in a Chiapas village just before Christmas showed.But this
week the government felt the same way; and arguably it had good reason too.

Since the massacre, which cost Mexico's interior minister his job, Chiapas
has attracted foreign journalists,academics,clerics,human-rights observers
and others in swarms.The interior ministry last month warned foreigners
that observing was one thing, political meddling another. The actions of
the latest swarm, the ministry decided, were more than enough: out they must
go, and out, at the weekend they went.

A swarm they were: 134 italians, who had arrived on ten-days visas,
ostensibly to observe. In fact ,they came -as the Italian name of
their group, Gia Basta, suggested- to offer the Zapatists their
support.Forbidden to visit sundry rebellious villages, they went
there anyway, and then tried to get their visas extended so they
could visit more. No,said the government, fed up with "revolutionary
tourism".Most of the italians flew out voluntarily, not before
disputing with the airline the extra fares they would have to pay
were they stay extended; 40, early on monday, were summarily
expelled. "An insult to our country" said a spokesman for the
group.And ours, was a widespread Mexican response.

The incident may not end there. The group, which included four left-wing
Italian members of parliament, on Wednesday met members of the European
Parliament, already keen on proposed links between human rights in Chiapas
and the EU-Mexican trade deal that is now being negotiated. But whether
Gia Basta's real concern is justice in Mexico or politics in Italy is
unclear.

The group was born some three years ago. It owes much to Rifondazione
Comunista, a hardline faction that rejected reform of Italy's old Communist
Party. This faction's leader, Fausto Bertinotti, had returned enraptured
from a visit to the subcomandante; here,at last,was a real-world yet
unsullied class warrior.But the group also included Catholic activists,
anarchists and members of what the Italians call the centri sociali-
commune-dwellers, drop-outs and suchlike. In sum, a typucal European
campaign for a cause in a far-off country of wich its members know almost
nothing.

Still, the campaign has made plenty of noise; first, around Mexican
consulates in Italy, then, after last December's massacre, at a demonstration
in Rome that drew 50,000 people.As for knowing nothing, was that not why
the 134 went to Mexico? No, said that country's peace co-ordinator,
Emilio Rabasa, as he prepared to welcome five Canadian parliamentarians
who had come genuinely, he said, for that purpose.And from now on all
human-right delegations to Chiapas must prove their experience in that field
and will be limited to ten people, for ten days, and that's it.

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Franco Barchiesi
Sociology of Work Unit
Dept of Sociology
University of the Witwatersrand
Private Bag 3
PO Wits 2050
Johannesburg
South Africa
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E-Mail 029frb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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