On Wednesday morning, January 24, an armed commando murdered our comrade Quintín Salgado in the state of Guerrero, who was a revolutionary environmental defender of the Balsas River that provided water to many southern states of México, and he defended the rights of the mining workers in the municipality of Cocula, who are on strike since November 3, 2017.

Since year 2015, Quintín protected the life of the river together the fishers of Nuevo Balsas community due contamination by lethal chemicals –arsenic, cyanide, etc- that Media Luna Mining (part of Canadian company “Torex Gold Resources”) has spilled in the water since it started its gold extraction works. With informative assemblies, blockades and campings, communities of Nuevo Balsas, La Fundición y Real del Limón (these last two, totally displaced for the settlement of the minning complex in their lands) tried to reach an agreement with the company for not contaminate the river and the environment, that has already caused problems in the local economy due the affectation of fishes in the river habitat as well deaths on kids because respiratory diseases.

Because neither government nor company solve these situationes, the idea of autonomy it has extended among the people since then, creating anti-systemic processes of organization and conscience that some comrades of us support its in many ways.

Quintín worked as conductor of an Urvan, transporting workforce from the mine to various destinations as Iguala, Chilpancingo and other closely towns. He had married and had two adorable children; a 6-years old girl and other 2-years old baby whom he loved with all his hearth.

At mid-2017, he was fired for being an organizational leader in the blockades and protest actions, not counting the several telephone threats that he received by narcotraffic.

Let’s talk about the workers situation in the región. Majority of them are from rural villages of Guerrero, for this they are racially discriminated and have not a decent treatment since their entrance to the company. Skin diseases, constan accidents, hide deaths, be treated as cheap labor with journeys longer of 14 hours without chance of “laboral growing” and terrible conditions in the dining rooms, as well the negation of health services, are some of the problematics.

Thus, on November 3, workers initiated a strike that still standing today, denouncing the slavery and laboral discrimination they live. They demand syndical freedom for get out of CTM (mexican syndicate part of the extreme right wing political party “PRI”) and join to National Syndicate of Mining Workers (SNTMMSSRM), to achieve salary improvements, the application of health services and a decent treatment.

However, both Media Luna Mining and CTM have employed groups of the organized crime for patrol everyday in the campings and blocked roadways of the strikers for generate fear and finish with workers movement. On November 21, comrades Víctor & Marcelino Sahuintla Peña –originaries from the community of Tonalapa- were killed too in Atzcala –one of the opposition villages and with many workers are among their population- by other armed command while this was protected/legitimed by the military police (Gendarmerie), coming from 27th Infantery Battalion of Iguala, involved directly also in the forced dissapearance of the 43 normalistas students of Ayotzinapa in September, 2014.

Another thing: Quintín was beaten, threatened and his cellphone was destroyed by armed men just one week before his murder, when he was going to an emergency reunion in Atzcala for communicate how government and local authorities of his community are manipulating the people with the intention that workers get back to work in the mine, propitiating well, the struggle dissconnection between the affected villages.

Today, our comrade is the third dead in middle of the conflict… Was killed for be an uncomfortbale activist and he never sold itself to the WILD CAPITALISM interests in the minning region of Guerrero. And even for our enemies we don not want neither jail nor punishment, we will have justice with positive actions winning the demands of workers and villagers.

We do not want to see more spilled blood.. Minera Media Luna, Torex Gold Resources, the Mexican State, its paramilitary, police and theft groups between the communities, are the responsible for this climate of war, but they will not triumph in their desires to destroy nature and human life to change them for gold, money and absurd amounts of luxuries with which they seek to “satisfy” their mediocrity as human beings.

We call on social organizations, human rights, free media, groups in defense of the environment and all the people of the world interested in stopping this ecocide and exploitation against the working class, to follow closely the information and videos that we will publish about this struggle.

BECAUSE THOSE WHO DIE FOR WATER & LIFE CAN NOT BE CALLED DEAD!

Revolución Internacional / World Revolution

Ruptura Colectiva (RC)

(English subtitles available)

378 total views, 1 views today