Cuernavaca, Morelos - Javier Sicilia warned of the possibility of generating a new social revolution in Mexico if the federal government does not listen to the conflicts in the teacher ranks and community police.
The poet said that the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity was the last peaceful movement in the country, and that he anticipated this during the caravan in Veracruz.
While attending the announcement of the "Don Sergio Méndez Arceo" human rights prize, Sicilia said it is a mistake that the federal government does not listen to what is happening in the country.
"We said that this was the last peaceful movement that this country was going to have. And they accused us, saying that we were going to radicalize. It was not so. They did not understand us, they would force the radicalization," said the activist.He considers the political class's "remoteness" in not addressing the problems. Faced with this official position, Sicilia sees the risk of crime penetrating the community police, as occurred in Colombia. Rather than prosecuting the self-defense groups, Sicilia proposed that the government might work with communities so the community police are not corrupted.
This year the Sergio Méndez Arceo Prize went to Las Patronas [The (Female) Bosses], women from the state of Veracruz who give aid to the Central American migrants en route to the United States by train called "La Bestia" ["The Beast"].
Estela Ángeles Mondragón was also recognized. She led the defense of Rarámuri communities in the struggle to regain their lands invaded by ranchers from the municipality of Carichi, Chihuahua. Her husband, Ernesto Rabago, was killed, and she has been threatened on several occasions.
The award ceremony will be held on April 20 in Cuernavaca. Spanish original