DAY 80, HONDURAS COUP RESISTANCE – CARAVANS OF RESISTANCE

[Downwinder]

http://www.rightsaction.org/Alerts/Honduras_resistance_day_80.html

[Peace Patriot]

1. GREAT PHOTOS! BEAUTIFUL DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE! BRAVE & GRACIOUS FIRST LADY!

(This text is interspersed with GREAT PHOTOS. Note: The reporter is Canadian.)

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FIRST LADY XIOMARA CASTRO DE ZELAYA CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY: “HERE THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES – NO GUARANTEES FOR ANYBODY”
(By François Guindon, Rights Action, September 12, 2009)

The sun was burning hot. At 9:00 am, cars started to arrive in El Porvenir, a municipality in the Siria Valley, department of Francisco Morazán. “There is a great heat wave for this time of the year” said Carlos Amador (of the Siria Valley Environmental Defense Committee) as he was arranging last minute details to get the Caravan going. “Siria Valley has lost many harvests this year… it’s going to be a tough one for many people.”
However, the mood was unanimous and firm: the military coup regime was not welcome in this department and they wanted to express their pacific resistance to Micheletti’s illegal government.

(PHOTO: Four companions getting ready for the pro-democracy, anti-coup caravan)

Organized by local teachers, community leaders and the Siria Valley Environmental Defense Committee (that for years has denounced the environmental and health harms and other human rights violations caused by Goldcorp Inc’s open-pit, cyanide-leach gold mine that operates nearby), the Caravan aimed to raise awareness in their region about the military coup and show solidarity with the National Front Against the Coup.
The Caravan got moving around 10:00 with at least 150 vehicles.

(PHOTO: Along the way, people came out of their houses to cheer and support the Caravan: “Golpistas… FUERA!” (Coup supporters, out!)
(“President Legally Elected” (MEL in Spanish)

The Caravan wound along dirt roads from the municipality of El Porvenir to the municipality of San Ignacio, passing by Goldcorp Inc’s “San Martin” mine. In July, the Siria Valley Environmental Defense Committee and Rights Action denounced that Goldcorp’s local subsidiary “Entremares” was involved in filling buses of local men – including some mine workers – and paying them $20/ day to go and participate in pro-military coup marches! Though large businesses throughout Honduras are doing this, Goldcorp vigorously denies that this is true in its case.

PHOTO: In San Ignacio, the Caravan stopped to listen to live resistance music and speeches.
(“Without Mel, there is no election” says this singer’s t-shirt.)
His sisters dance to “ranchera” music. People chant to the beat of the music, with fists in the air: “Micheletti - FUERA!” (Military coup leader Roberto Micheletti, out!)

Back on the road, the Caravan headed towards the town of Talanga where the First Lady of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, repeated the call for pacific resistance in every Honduran community until the constitutional order is completely re-established and that justice has been done for the crimes of the coup plotters and perpetrators.

Xiomara spoke and thanked every woman and man, the elderly and young, for their solidarity in this non-violent movement, and called upon the population to boycott the November 29 presidential elections that are being pushed forward by an illegitimate and illegal government.

After her speech, as she was leaving to go to visit another community, I asked her: “As we all thought that military coups were a thing of the past, and given that the Canadian government’s position has been one of the weakest in the Americas, what message would like to share with the Canadian people and its authorities?”

“The situation in Honduras is very difficult. 77 days have passed, since the coup, and the repression continues against the population in general. Here there are no guarantees, no guarantees for anyone”.

“What we are living through in Honduras is an example of what should not be repeated in any country. So, we need the solidarity of all countries, the support of all countries, to overcome this.”

“Now, the “golpistas” (coup-supporters) who have oppressed the country are trying to move ahead with elections that have been corrupted since the June 28 coup.”

“We would like the support of all peoples, including the Canadian authorities; come and accompany us, come to Honduras, see and learn about all the human rights violations that have occurred. … Accompany us and help us to change this country.”

http://www.rightsaction.org/Alerts/Honduras_resistance_day_80.html

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