Mexico’s City Pro-Palestine Protest: Interview with UNAM Student

Mexico’s UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico) students have launched a Pro-Palestine encampment as students around the world have shown solidarity with the population of Gaza. Hundreds of protesters marched in Mexico City to commemorate Nakba Day, which lands each year on May 15th—this day compromised the destruction of Palestinian society as they faced permanent displacement from their own homes in 1948. This was just the beginning for Palestinian people to face ethnic cleansing as Zionist military forces expelled at least 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and lands, which captured 78 percent of historic Palestine.

Mexico is a sovereign country, but they, too, know what it was like to be colonized by another country. In this case, Spain enslaved and displaced Indigenous People as well as stealing resources and land. In the case of the Palestine-Israeli conflict, UN Mexico representative Héctor Vasconcelos y Cruz called emphatically for the parties to cease hostilities definitively and permanently, especially the indiscriminate attacks against the civilian population and medical and humanitarian personnel. However, Mexico hasn’t cut diplomatic ties with Israel as other Latin American countries have, like Colombia, Honduras, and Chile. 

Stop the imperialist genocide in Gaza.

UNAM students are calling for an end to the occupation and the genocide being carried out against the Palestinian people, as well as calling on the Mexican government to break diplomatic relations with Israel and for UNAM to break all academic ties with Israeli institutions. I had the opportunity to interview a student who attended the protest in Mexico City. She is Grecia Idalid Arellano Embriz, and she is studying at the Institute of Economic Research at UNAM for her Master’s degree.

What is the reason that led you to attend the pro-Palestine protest in Mexico City?

The first is to support and make visible the suppression of human rights that Israel has exercised over Palestine, which is not a new issue, since the appointment of Prime Minister in 1969 Golda Mabovitch, the national identity of the Palestinians was denied. This is somewhat contradictory since Zionism emerged as a response to anti-Semitism.

Another relevant factor is that although the Mexican government has not issued a statement terminating relations with Israel, like its counterparts (Bolivia and Colombia). As citizens, we express our rejection of the war actions and show our solidarity by participating in the march, as it is a way to pressure governments and international organizations to recognize and act on these injustices, promoting a just and peaceful solution to the conflict.

Photo: Grecia I. Arellano

 

In Mexico, how does the media portray the war? Here in the U.S., most of the media focus on Hamas and the hostages, rather than the war crimes Israel is committing. The media is biased.

During the march in Mexico City, the police focused primarily on protecting public and private infrastructure. However, it is important to note that a segment of the demonstrators resorted to violence, both verbal and physical, against them. Some damage to infrastructure included throwing rocks and paint, resulting in visible damage to the facade of a Starbucks establishment. In my opinion, these acts of vandalism are inappropriate and stand in significant contrast to the repressive approach observed in student protests in the United States, where protesters have been deprived of fundamental rights, such as the right to speech and the right to seek employment. This is evidenced by reports of using artificial intelligence to identify protesters in these contexts.

This text clarifies the role of the police, details the actions of protesters, and compares the situation with similar events in other countries, providing a deeper analysis of the implications of these acts.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/noticieros.televisa.com/tag/conflicto-israeli-palestino/

Photo: Grecia I. Arellano

 

Could you tell me more about the UNAM camp, how have the administrators reacted, or have they threatened to close the camp?

I don’t have much information on this part. I know that the camps have been allowed to be set up, and cultural activities have also been established. However, a few months ago, academics demonstrated for UNAM to break off relations with universities, such as Tel Aviv.

Sources: https://www.google.com/amp/s/contralinea.com.mx/interno/semana/alumnos-de-la-unam-exigen-romper-relaciones-con-israel/amp/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/elpais.com/mexico/2024-05-18/la-unam-anuncia-que-revisara-los-convenios-con-universidades-de-israel-que-se-hayan-posicionado-contra-la-construccion-de-paz.html%3foutputType=amp

 

Photo: Grecia I. Arellano

 

“Genocides colonialists the state of zionist Israel. Their crimes against Palestine/Rafah are condemned. ” Photo: Grecia I. Arellano
Photo: Grecia I. Arellano

 

Grecia is one of our compañeras, an example of how important it is to be the voice for the Palestinian people. People worldwide call for a ceasefire, and students should be listened to instead of being arrested and expelled from their universities. The United States has arrested well over 2,900 people and was met with violence from their very own governments. There have also been boycotts with companies that finance Israel’s military or are profiting from the Gaza genocide. 

One reason Starbucks was targetted in Mexico City is because Starbucks’ most significant shareholders are also major investors in military companies with ties to Israel:

The Vanguard Group holds approximately 90.5 million shares of Starbucks (7.7%),4, and is also a top shareholder in Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons company.[12]

BlackRock holds approx. 84.3 million shares of Starbucks (7.2%),[13] and is also a top shareholder in Lockheed Martin, which produces fighter jets for the Israeli military and boasts of being “proud of the significant role it has fulfilled in the security of the State of Israel.”[14]

Boycotting, protests, and self-immolation are ways people have shown their solidarity and want a stop to the genocide. Israel continues their bombardment in Rafah, war crimes being published online, and no punishment for Netanyahu and the IDF. We will continue reporting on the ongoing genocide, and we hope the rest of the world puts pressure on their governments to cut ties with Israel and push for the arrest of Netanhayu. The people of Palestine deserve peace, as they have faced ethnic cleansing for too long. All eyes are on Rafah.

Free Palestine.


El Tribuno del Pueblo brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: tribunodelpueblo.org. We’re all volunteers, no paid staff. Please donate at http://tribunodelpueblo.org to keep bringing you the voices of the movement because no human being is illegal.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Thank you for your comment! We have just posted an article on Sheinbaum’s victory at the top of our homepage.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

RELATED ARTICLES

SUBSCRIBE

STAY INFORMED & TAKE ACTION

As capitalism fails, the only strategy the ruling class has is to turn us against each other by scapegoating narratives and pushing divisive politics. This is why we are a national source of information connected to a network of movement newspapers and publications. We represent the voices of those fighting for human rights and a world for people, not profits.

VISIT OUR SISTER SITE

LATEST ARTICLES