Late last week I received a wonderful letter from the legendary Anthony McIntyre an IRA volunteer who spent 18 years in a British prison. His was a message of solidarity and support from a personal hero which gave me great strength.
Today was a wonderful mail call, an evening filled with solidarity, love and revolution. You simply cannot have one without the others. Among the dozen or so cards and letters I received were messages of hope and inspiration from Scotland, Belfast, France, Switzerland, Amsterdam, Nova Scotia, several US States and two from a so-called Anonymous “hacking” camp somewhere in the world.
One in particular, I wish to share with our community- it speaks volumes about who we are and what we are about. From Quillota, Chile came a letter from “Ignacio” written on a small piece of checkerboard paper inside of a sheet of tattered paper made into an envelope. It began simply enough with Dear Mr. Cohen:
First, I hope your human rights are being respected, and that you are well.
My name is Ignascio _____, an _______ drop out, now studying medicine, and a fellow believer in Palestinian Liberation. I write you from Chile, this beautiful land hanging from the mountains almost falling into the sea, that seems to have offended an ancient god, always scourged by earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, etc. This situation has shown me, time and time again, that the natural human instinct in front of somebody in pain is to try and stop that pain and help. Being Catholic and Marxist, I believe in a superior destiny of Humanity, where people can live a happy life in solidarity, not the greed-fueled life neo-liberals want us to believe is true human nature.
We Chileans have learned the hard way that without unity we the poor are hopeless. The power of the People is something out of the Alchemists book: it only exists after is used.
The evil that taints the world is powerful in occupied Palestine, but it can be stopped. Our biggest weapon against it is love, doesn’t matter how naive that may sound. Your work, dear Stanley, is filled with love. You are truly a Freedom Fighter. I believe you’ll know the happy ending of your fight in this life, or in the next one, because you indeed have been persecuted in the name of Justice and you shall know a reward.
Chilean native people have shown the world that no one can take away your dignity if it is not with your consent. Galarino, a Mapuche military leader in the war against the Spanish circ 1550, had both his hands cut away as a punishment. As soon as he healed, though, he had spears tied to his stumps, and fought the Spanish any way.
Hoping that your releasing comes soon, I say my good byes. August, 2015.
MARICHIWEU! (we’ll defeat our enemies ten times over” in Mapuche language)”
We are Legion indeed. We do not forgive, we do not forget.
Today I walk on clouds comfortable in the knowledge that we shall prevail.
Up the Rebels
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| Che = People – Mapu = of the land |
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