Group demands action by Mexico after massacre
HOUSTON (AP) -- A group of Zapatista supporters braved cold temperatures outside of the city's Mexican Consulate to protest paramilitary operations they blame for the massacre of 45 people in Chiapas.
A group of about 25 demonstrators, mainly members of the Zapatista Zolidarity Movement, brought a letter stating their demands Friday.
"(Mexican President Ernesto) Zedillo paints the world a false image of what's in Mexico. You can't build a democratic future on massacres like this," said Cristobal Hinojosa, the group's spokesman.
The group was protesting the slaying of sympathizers of the Zapatista National Liberation Army in Acteal, a coffee and banana growing village about 450 miles southeast of Mexico City.
Of the 45 dead, all Tzotzil Indians, 20 were women and 18 were children. The victims were members of a group of Zapatista supporters known as Las Abejas (the Bees).
Nine men have been questioned in connection with the massacre, which was denounced widely and prompted protests from the United Nations and the White House.
As many as 60 gunmen were involved in the five-hour massacre, Mexican officials said.
Blame for the bloodbath fell on paramilitary groups allegedly supported by Mexico's ruling party, the PRI, and landowners.
Hinojosa said his group's demands include punishing those directly and indirectly involved in the massacre and the disarmament of the paramilitary groups.
He said known paramilitary groups include Guardias Blancas (White Guard), Paz y Justicia (Peace and Justice), Alianza San Bartolome de los Llanos (San Bartolome Alliance from the lowlands), el Moviemento Insurgente Revolucionario Antizapatista (Insurgent Revolutionary Anti-Zapatista Movement) and Chinchulines, a group of indigenous government supporters.
"The Mexican government knew about these groups. That's why we believe the government of Zedillo is not doing enough against these groups," Hinojosa said.