‘The Zapatistas Have Invaded’: Indigenous Activists Sail to Spain

The Zapatistas have invaded Europe — to reverse the 500-year-old curse of Spanish colonialism on the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Their prime weapon? Their artwork! The “invasion” itself constitutes a work of exquisite performance art. The Zapatistas landed in Spain last month and have since moved on to France. We excerpt below from a Common Dreams look at the early days of the invasion. And don’t miss this joyous video profile of the Zapatista “air force.”

“The Zapatistas have invaded Europe," declared Subcomandante Galeano, leader of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) — which in 1994 waged an armed rebellion in the southern state of Chiapas to resist Mexico's implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) — as the delegation arrived in Spain’s northwestern Galicia region aboard the sailboat La Montaña.

The disembarkation of the delegation, which calls itself Squadron 421, was delayed due to “paperwork” issues, according to Galeano, who also said the group had to await the results of Covid-19 tests...

“I mean, if we’ve already waited 500 years,” Galeano quipped. “This should demonstrate Squadron 421’s responsibility toward those who are receiving us here, that is to say, to guarantee to them that we won’t contaminate them with a virus that isn't one of resistance and rebellion...”

Squadron 421 members plan to meet with progressive groups in 30 European countries and territories. In a previous statement, they said that “we are going to tell the people of Spain two simple things. One, they did not conquer us. We are still here resisting, in rebellion. Second, they do not have to ask that we forgive them for anything.”