Picket line in New York City protests repression of striking miners in Cananea, MX

international | labor | news report Saturday January 12, 2008 22:49 by Internationalist Group - League for the Fourth International

NEW YORK, 12 January -- The attack by over 800 state and federal police and Mexican army soldiers, aimed at dislodging striking miners from Cananea (Sonora state), was answered with a protest picket in New York. In front of the Mexican consulate, some 20 demonstrators proclaimed their solidarity with the mineworkers, who have been on strike since July 30 against terrible safety conditions at the Cananea complex and against government attacks on the workers.

Protesters at the Mexican consulate

Picket line in New York City protests repression of striking miners in Cananea, MX

NEW YORK, 12 January -- The attack by over 800 state and federal police and Mexican army soldiers, aimed at dislodging striking miners from Cananea (Sonora state), was answered with a protest picket in New York. In front of the Mexican consulate, some 20 demonstrators proclaimed their solidarity with the mineworkers, who have been on strike since July 30 against terrible safety conditions at the Cananea complex and against government attacks on the workers.

"Ejército fuera, policía fuera, viva, viva la huelga minera" ("Army get out, police get out, long live the miners' strike!"), chanted the protesters, "La lucha obrera no tiene fronteras" ("the workers struggle knows no borders"). The picket was organized by the Internationalist Group, U.S. section of the League for the Fourth International, and drew participation from unionists from the UFT (NYC public school teachers), the PSC (City University professors), and the Teamsters.

During the picketing the protesters spoke directly with miners of Section 65 who were meeting in Cananea, and offered their greetings of solidarity. "Since the brutal attack by the Federal Police on Oaxaca in 2006, we in New York are very attentive to the repressive acts of the Mexican government," they commented.

They also defended the rights of migrant workers to citizenship against the harassment of the immigration police. "The strike in Cananea in 1906 was a joint action of Mexican and U.S. workers," said Jan Norden, one of the protest's organizers. "Today we are again calling on the U.S. labor movement to demonstrate active solidarity with the miners of Cananea."

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Protesters at the Mexican consulate

Protesters at the Mexican consulate

Leaflet on the miners' strike at Cananea