Amlo's Contradiction
Briarpatch|July/August 2019

Mexico’s new president promised “the end of neoliberalism.” But as he forces through megaprojects and steamrolls over Indigenous dissent, activists are beginning to understand that anti-neoliberal doesn’t always mean anti-capitalist.

Jose Luis Granados Ceja
Amlo's Contradiction

Samir Flores Soberanes was a teacher, a campesino, a community organizer, a radio host, and an Indigenous Nahua land and water defender. In February, Samir was killed in his home, shot twice in the head.

Samir was a prominent voice within the Frente de Pueblos en Defensa de la Tierra y el Agua (People’s Front in Defence of the Land and Water), an organization fighting to stop the Proyecto Integral Morelos (PIM), which would see the operation of two thermoelectric plants and a natural gas pipeline in the shadow of the very active Popocatépetl volcano in central Mexico. Land defenders are fiercely opposed to the project – they believe it will divert water supplies in the region away from agricultural use and ultimately will undermine the way of life of the Nahua people in the state of Morelos.

Local officials told Mexican media that his murder was tied to organized crime, a frequent explanation proffered by officials whenever an activist or journalist is killed in Mexico, a country racked by cartel-related violence. But the timing of his murder – mere days before a contentious plebiscite, which would determine the future of the PIM, was set to be held – left little doubt in the minds of his comrades: Samir was killed in order to try to debilitate the work of those opposing the PIM and send a message that the project would proceed.

“He was a very creative person, multifaceted. His absence leaves a void in community work, in the work with the population,” Juan Carlos Flores, a member of the People’s Front in Defence of the Land and Water, tells Briarpatch.

“They have no idea who they took from us,” says Hugo Franco Guzman, one of the hosts at the local radio station that Samir helped to start.

This story is from the July/August 2019 edition of Briarpatch.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the July/August 2019 edition of Briarpatch.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM BRIARPATCHView All
PLATFORMS FOR PEOPLE, NOT PROFIT
Briarpatch

PLATFORMS FOR PEOPLE, NOT PROFIT

Digital platforms boast that they’ve “democratized” cultural production. But what would truly democratic platforms look like in Canada?

time-read
10 mins  |
January/February 2020
ORGANIZING THROUGH LOSS IN THE HEART OF OIL COUNTRY
Briarpatch

ORGANIZING THROUGH LOSS IN THE HEART OF OIL COUNTRY

The story of climate justice organizing in Alberta, at the heart of the tarsands, is the story of a group of young activists learning what it means to lose, and keep on fighting

time-read
10+ mins  |
January/February 2020
GROWING THE LABOUR MOVEMENT
Briarpatch

GROWING THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

How unions are using community gardens to engage members, nourish communities, and help strikers weather the picket line

time-read
10+ mins  |
January/February 2020
A NEW ERA FOR OLD CROW
Briarpatch

A NEW ERA FOR OLD CROW

In the Yukon’s northernmost community, the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation is reckoning with how to preserve their land and culture, amid a warming climate and an influx of tourists

time-read
10+ mins  |
January/February 2020
“At Least Hookers Get Wages”
Briarpatch

“At Least Hookers Get Wages”

The risky business of sex work in the gig economy

time-read
10+ mins  |
November/December 2019
The Literal – And Literary – Futures We Build
Briarpatch

The Literal – And Literary – Futures We Build

Briarpatch editor Saima Desai talks to two judges of our Writing in the Margins contest about Idle No More and MMIWG, ethical kinship, writing queer sex, and their forthcoming work.

time-read
9 mins  |
November/December 2019
The Cost Of A T-Shirt
Briarpatch

The Cost Of A T-Shirt

In Honduras, women maquila workers are fighting back against the multinational garment companies that they say are endangering their health and safety.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November/December 2019
Milking Prison Labour
Briarpatch

Milking Prison Labour

Canada’s prison farms are being reopened. But when prisoners will be paid pennies a day, and the fruits of their labour will likely be exported for profit, there’s little to celebrate.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November/December 2019
Bringing Back The Beat
Briarpatch

Bringing Back The Beat

In mainstream media, labour journalism has been replaced by financial reporting and business sections. But journalism students are raising the labour beat from the grave.

time-read
10 mins  |
November/December 2019
There's No Journalism On A Dead Planet
Briarpatch

There's No Journalism On A Dead Planet

Corporate media owners are killing local newspapers – which is making it impossible for everyday people to understand the on-the-ground impacts of the climate crisis

time-read
10+ mins  |
September/October 2019