On May 2nd, a day ahead of schedule and due to bad weather forecasts, the Zapatista delegation called Squadron 421, made up of four women, two men and one “other”, set sail for Europe. The boat that will take them there, La Montaña, on a trip that is estimated to last six to eight weeks, left from Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo. They left with the Zapatista anthem in the background with about 50 people saying goodbye to them from the land, after raising a large banner with the legend “A Journey for Life”, a name that they put on their initiative.
They are expected to arrive in Madrid on August 13th, the date on which it will be 500 years since the fall of Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec empire, at the hands of the Spanish. The objective is to complete the reverse journey to that of the conquistadores and “fight for life, organize, defend, but together”, said Insurgent Sub-commander Moises, who accompanied those who were going to travel from Chiapas.
In a communiqué the day before, Insurgent Sub-commander Galeano he imagined the questions that the delegates might ask the rest of the crew: “And if lightning strikes and the ship breaks, what do we do?” “And if a hole opens and all the water is gone at once, are we going to have to walk?” “And how do you eat if you don’t have a place to have cornfields?” “And how does the wind know that we are going there?” “And where does the sea sleep if it is sleepy?” “And if your heart is sad about the sea, how can you cry?” “How big is the heart to love and cherish the sea that is so big?” “And just as we defend the land, is there someone who defends the sea?”
For more information in Spanish:
Zarpa un día antes La Montaña hacia Europa con delegación zapatista (La Jornada, 3 de mayo de 2021)
La salida de la delegación zapatista rumbo a Europa, en imágenes (El País, 3 de mayo de 2021)
La “invasión” zapatista de Europa da inicio: velero parte de Isla Mujeres y llegará a Madrid en agosto (Sin Embargo, 3 de mayo de 2021)
Los zapatistas comienzan su gira internacional y zarpan desde Isla Mujeres rumbo a Europa (El País, 2 de mayo de 2021)
El Abordaje (EZLN, 1ero de mayo de 2021)
For more information from SIPAZ:
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