By David Venegas Reyes, Translated by Scott Campbell

Power, this monster of 1,000 faces - of politicians, businessmen, bishops, and soldiers - that in 2006 was at the point of perishing, trampled beneath the feet of millions of people on their victorious march towards freedom; that was burned by the magnificent heat of millions of hearts set alight by the fire of rebellion and hope; that, terrified, hid itself when it was surrounded by thousands of barricades; that was deafened by millions of throats shouting like never before the slogans of justice, freedom, dignity and peace, words that are naturally contrary to power.  This same power that was humiliated and mortally wounded by the insurrectionary action of the people of Oaxaca today is rapidly regrouping its forces and is furiously lifting itself off the ground with a thirst for vengeance.

Whereas, in 2006, power took as its last refuge its purchased place on the TV screens and the pages of some newspapers, the only places where it could feel safe, and from there made a show of force that it didn’t have.  Today, power goes out into the streets to demonstrate its renewed cynicism. The faces of businessmen and politicians from all parties that watched in 2006 with skepticism or open disdain at the more authoritarian and violent face of power, that of the repressive and murderous ruler.  In their hypocrisy, these faces of power that in 2006 made public criticisms of the fascist face, ignoring their common origin, today have reconciled and renewed their agreement to maintain power at whatever cost.

Power licks the deep scars left on its skin by the thousands of anonymous hands that hastened its noisy collapse, painting slogans of freedom and justice on its reptilian body before the bewilderment of those who thought that power would never succumb and the joy of those who thought it was dead. For this affront, power feels a renewed appetite for the blood of the working people, an appetite stimulated by a thirst for vengeance.  Vengeance disguised as reconciliation, power knows it must show its friendliest faces in order to ensure that it succeeds in getting its claws within reach of the distrustful and rebellious public before it, and once captive, it will return to feeding off of their obedience, fear, admiration and blood. For this power relies on its most hypocritical faces, the faces of leftist politicians, of representatives, senators, and legitimate presidents, of the leaders of fake revolutionary organizations, of bishops, of “philanthropic” painters, of union members, of parrot journalists and including the faces of some they call the “leaders of the APPO”, who with their long snake tongues make magnificent speeches of surrender and spit the venom of demagoguery at those within reach of their perfidious tongues, and fulfill their infamous work of bringing the people who rose up in 2006 to the jaws of power, so that they can be devoured by this monster of 1,000 faces. 

The leftist faces of power in 2006 tried zealously to put themselves at the front of the valiant actions of the people in the struggle, and when they spoke at rallies or on occupied radio stations, they gave speeches so incendiary in their revolutionary vehemence that they squeezed with emotion the hearts of thousands of brave and honest men and women.  Leftist faces of power that included cheering on direct confrontation with the police and military faces of power.

Today, they don’t miss an opportunity to label as “radicals, violent, and spies” those who, from the struggle in the streets, dare to denounce their treason and opportunism for returning again to be efficient servants of power. These accusations from the leftist faces of power have a very powerful rationale: to discredit, defame and eliminate from the social movement those who will not accept being servants of power but who want to continue fighting for freedom.

Power, that in 2006 showed its most fascist and repressive face, that which provoked the resounding action of the people which produced the deep and mortal wounds on its horrendous body, has learned its lesson and is willing to include as many new faces on its horrible body as is necessary, among them many leftist faces, so that this monster – devourer of people, nature, culture and future – can stay alive.  There are many leftist faces, many of the self-named leaders of the APPO, who couldn’t wait to form part of the body of power and feast their appetites, up to this day they rehearse the gestures, solemnity and demagoguery necessary to become a part of this monster.

They forget and ignore that the Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca is, naturally, opposed to power, since horizontalism, respect for consensus and respectful dialog are the fundamental principles of the assembly, inheritors of the assemblies of our indigenous peoples that have practiced it for millennia and that are precisely the reason for their survival in the face of successive invasions, plundering, aggressions, colonialism, capitalism and neoliberalism that over the centuries the owners of power have assaulted them with.  Today, the assembly remains in effect as a form of self-government for the communities, but above all as a political proposition with national and international reach.

The APPO is that historical paradigm where the experiences of the people of Oaxaca and of the different people of the world who have fought for freedom, justice, dignity and peace conjoin together and present themselves as fundamental in a moment of history, where savage capitalism has found itself in its terminal crisis and power, its bastard son, has shown its most criminal faces.

Power, as much as it licks the superficial wounds put on its body by the insurrectionary actions of the people in 2006, and although it paints and adorns itself with words of social peace, reconciliation and development on its horrendous body, it will not be able to cure itself of the deepest wound caused by the people in 2006, the wound created at the source of its strength by the consciousness gained by our people of the unsustainable situation and of the need to fight tirelessly to obtain true justice, freedom, dignity and peace.  It is this mortal wound that resides in the heart of power and from which it will never recover.