Sicilia, who heads the Movement for Peace with Justice and
Dignity, or MPJD, was received here Friday by U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Earl
Anthony Wayne and spoke to him about his plans for the caravan, which is
scheduled to begin on Aug. 12 in San Diego and cover several southern U.S.
states before making its way to Chicago and New York and ending in Washington in
mid-September.
The United States has a long history of supporting freedom of expression, including peaceful expressions of protest and dissent, Wayne said in a U.S. Embassy press release.
He added that he appreciated the “courtesy” of MPJD leaders in sharing their points of view and plans.
The statement said the goal of the caravan will be to create awareness about drug violence, weapons trafficking and trans-border issues such as migration and money laundering.
U.S. activists, including representatives of the San Francisco-based human rights advocacy group Global Exchange, will take part in the peace caravan.
The 56-year-old Sicilia, who formed his movement after his son was murdered last year by suspected drug-gang members, says the United States shares the blame for the tens of thousands of drug-related deaths in Mexico over the past five-and-a-half years, citing the high demand for illegal drugs there and the north-to-south flow of weapons to Mexican drug cartels.
The United States has a long history of supporting freedom of expression, including peaceful expressions of protest and dissent, Wayne said in a U.S. Embassy press release.
He added that he appreciated the “courtesy” of MPJD leaders in sharing their points of view and plans.
The statement said the goal of the caravan will be to create awareness about drug violence, weapons trafficking and trans-border issues such as migration and money laundering.
U.S. activists, including representatives of the San Francisco-based human rights advocacy group Global Exchange, will take part in the peace caravan.
The 56-year-old Sicilia, who formed his movement after his son was murdered last year by suspected drug-gang members, says the United States shares the blame for the tens of thousands of drug-related deaths in Mexico over the past five-and-a-half years, citing the high demand for illegal drugs there and the north-to-south flow of weapons to Mexican drug cartels.
He wants the United States to stop providing aid to Mexico under
the Merida Initiative, a U.S.-funded regional plan to battle drug cartels and
other transnational criminal networks.
The activist also supports legalizing narcotics and insists that drugs should be treated as a public-health problem not as a national security issue, a stance that President Barack Obama does not share.
This summer’s caravan will be the first outside Mexico and the third since MPJD was founded last year.
The most recent one took place last September in southern Mexico and was aimed at raising awareness of the pain suffered by victims of violence, including large numbers of Central American migrants who are preyed upon by drug traffickers and corrupt officials.
Sicilia’s group, made up of relatives of victims of violence, also is demanding an end to Mexican President Felipe Calderon’s strategy of deploying tens of thousands of army soldiers and federal police to drug-war flashpoints, saying it has only made the country less safe.
Since Calderon took office in late 2006, organized crime-related violence in Mexico has left more than 50,000 dead, 10,000 missing and 120,000 displaced from their homes.
The activist also supports legalizing narcotics and insists that drugs should be treated as a public-health problem not as a national security issue, a stance that President Barack Obama does not share.
This summer’s caravan will be the first outside Mexico and the third since MPJD was founded last year.
The most recent one took place last September in southern Mexico and was aimed at raising awareness of the pain suffered by victims of violence, including large numbers of Central American migrants who are preyed upon by drug traffickers and corrupt officials.
Sicilia’s group, made up of relatives of victims of violence, also is demanding an end to Mexican President Felipe Calderon’s strategy of deploying tens of thousands of army soldiers and federal police to drug-war flashpoints, saying it has only made the country less safe.
Since Calderon took office in late 2006, organized crime-related violence in Mexico has left more than 50,000 dead, 10,000 missing and 120,000 displaced from their homes.
Source: Associated Press
How ironic we welcome him with open arms while we send Blackhawk helicopters, military equipment and training to the Mexican Army. I don't believe this war is winnable. Even if we kill El Chapo and El Mayo and every sicario in the country, all it would mean is new people would create NEW criminal organizations to funnel drugs into the United States. The war can't be won because the Drugs will always go north, no matter who is in charge, bet that!
ReplyDeleteYour right, but these american trained Mexican military will defect and be an even bigger challenge.
Deletethat does make sense.. uncle sam needs to quit helping mexico. it is our duty as mexicans to help and figure out a way out of this nightmare. blood,sweat,tears,and faith.
ReplyDeleteEconomic failure of the USA will create interesting times in Mexico for the drug trade, but will mean nothing for the extortion,kidnapping,theft,robbery etc. that Mexico suffers from, in fact it will increase with the downturn in Drug income. So what will the kind gentile group propose to FIX It ?? I can't wait!
ReplyDeleteThis kind of gets me angry. A fucking peace caravan!!! watching some guy ramble on about how we need love not war and waving some pickets about, sure everyone goes home feeling good for a few minutes but still wake up the next day to the same bullshit.
ReplyDeleteI hate all this rosy bullshit. Waste of time! seriously the ONLY way to deal with the problem at hand is to fight fire with fire. ARM the citizens! and give the government the death sentence to more easily rid of scumbags permanently.
People really think peace movements are going to make a bit of difference?
LAME sorry.
Lol did you even read his objective. To bring awareness to the public about whats going on as far as the war on drugs.arming citizens? What good does fighting fire with fire do? Go back to watching movies dumb ass your speaking out of ur ass.
DeleteThe real drivers of what we're seeing is greed, lack of regard for human life, corruption, impunity and the utter lack of Mexicans to be successful with a billion dollar market put in their laps. Also, they can not be given dangerous instrumentalities or they'll hurt themselves and others.
ReplyDeleteShame on us for putting money in front of the Pavlov dogs.
United States shares the blame for the tens of thousands of drug-related deaths in Mexico over the past five-and-a-half years, citing the high demand for illegal drugs there and the north-to-south flow of weapons to Mexican drug cartels.
ReplyDeleteI feel for the father that lost a son but trying to blame the deaths of mexicans on americans is like blaming the USA for the rag heads that took out our towers.
The activist also supports legalizing narcotics and insists that drugs...a stance that President Barack Obama does not share.
lol one good thing that obama ever said.
mexico has sicarios but we have fleshface eating zombies and the news media is way under reporting these incidents "for now".
@3:25 AM I completely agree. This guy doesn't have any solutions. He has no answers. The US gives jobs to millions of Mexican citizens who enter the country by sneaking in - does that mean anything to Sicilia? No, he wants to have a say in US foreign policy. Well, take a fucking number Javier and have a seat. Everybody wants to criticize US foreign policy.
ReplyDeleteOh and btw, are you going to pay for the security and the clean-up that your fucking "march" will need? Of course not, you expect the US taxpayer to pay for you AND your protest AND your mess of a country.
Take your lame protest back to your lame country. I hope you are coming to So. California, we'll be waiting for you.
I think sicilia is full of it, peace caravans are ignored by the narcos anyways its not like if they are going to sit and cry and chane their ways....sicilia no seas pendejo paisano.todos te miran como un estorbo...it wouldn't surprise me if theh murder him one day.
DeleteG(-)057
Bottom line is always the same.
ReplyDeleteTHE US SHARES THE BLAME FOR THIS WAR?
Whine baby whine,does the US share the blame for 100 years of corruption?Peace March?Idealistic bullshit,i,m sure he is a decent old geezer,but you wanna talk peace with dudes who are beheading and kidnapping any-one they feel like?C,mon man,you live in a nice house,you have dinner parties,you have a car,you get it.You have a nice life.The dudes doing the killing couldn't care less about your nice little life,and they will take your life in a minute,cause they don't give a fuck.
Yes,a friend of mine,told me he heard about these fleshface eating zombies.I a;ways said it would come to this.There are also rumors that there is a huge underground scourge involving baking soda and cough syrup.This diabolical demand for drugs by US ctizens is ruining the whole world not just Mexico.Anyone with half a brain can see it is all the fault of the US and their insane hunger for any kind of drug.How could they do this to poor Mexico.What was once a thriving full employment country,with huge opportunities for everyone,and the belief for human rights for all.Has turned into a hell,and it is all the fault of the US.
ReplyDeleteThe diabolical demand for drugs by the US,is killing the whole world,and helping to make koala bears extinct.Poor Mexico,the land of opportunity has paid an awful price.Now we see animal cruelty in the US,dismembering of a parrots claw,a rabbits toenail?Where are we heading as humans?
ReplyDeletehow typical of the war mongering US media/military industrial/international banker machine to protest what it is in actuality funding and promulgating...
ReplyDeletei smell the zhids..they are always on both sides
@June 11 5:18
ReplyDeleteLOL your joking right? lmao!
Dude Mexico has and is and will always be a failed state regardless of the US. Yeh ok the US is a big reason for the cartels prospering but at the end of the day Mexico is so fucked up to begin with that the US is just 1 reason on the list of problems that's wrong with Mexico.
"The United States has a long history of supporting freedom of expression, including peaceful expressions of protest and dissent, Wayne said in a U.S. Embassy press release."
ReplyDeleteLOL!!!
Freedom of expression??? including peaceful expressions of protest and dissent???
Not any more. Not in the USSA. In the USSA we have free speech zones. In the USSA protesting is terrorism and protestors are tried as terrorists.
LOL!!!