Mexico – just like Europe – has arrived at a crossroads.
Down one road, the country moves deeper into violence, prejudice, and poverty. The level of homicide in Mexico is reaching record highs: 30,000 citizens were murdered in 2017, while another 30,000 remain missing. The level of solidarity is reaching record lows: over half of the country lives below the poverty line, while the country’s richest man owns more than the poorest 20 per cent of all Mexicans combined. The first road will guide Mexico toward even higher levels of inequality and mistrust between citizens.
But there is another road. Down it, Mexican citizens rally together to share wealth, rebuild democracy, and ensure that no one gets left behind. The war in Mexico – a war that has been raging for nearly two decades – comes to an end. The country enters the new century with its arms open to peace.
The ongoing campaign for Mexico’s July 1 elections have shown the country at its best and at its worst. We have seen citizens come into the streets to fight for their principles and share their dreams with their candidates. But we have also seen incredible violence, with over 100 candidates slain in the course of the campaign. Communication between citizens has collapsed, and social networks have become shouting matches where nobody really listens.
That is why DiEM25 supports El Día Después, a new initiative that aims to push Mexico down the path toward a stronger democracy – whatever the outcome of the July 1 election. The campaign, which translates to “The Day After,” brings citizens together around 12 commitments for the day after the election, from peace and tolerance to equality and solidarity. Just like DiEM25, El Día Después is not about supporting a single party or politician, but a shared vision for the country’s future.
We believe that oppression anywhere is a threat to democracy everywhere. As Europeans, we must stand together with our friends in Mexico and across the world. Join us in standing behind these 12 commitments and lend your support for their movement here.
12 Citizen Commitments for the 21st Century
BECAUSE THERE IS NO GREATER RESPONSIBILITY THAN BEING A CITIZEN
- PEACE AND TOLERANCE ARE NOT DREAMS. They must be realised.
- NO TO RACISM OR CLASSISM. NO TO A COUNTRY THAT EXCLUDES PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. We are all equals, and we should treat each other as such. Our differences strengthen our whole.
- I ALWAYS REMAIN CRITICAL OF THOSE WHO GOVERN US, independent of my own or their political affiliation.
- CORRUPTION KILLS, it creates violence and it divides. I do not tolerate it and I denounce its practice.
- POVERTY IS A FORM OF VIOLENCE. I commit to combat inequality in all its forms, in all its spaces.
- I LISTEN TO THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF MEXICO and make sure their decisions and autonomy are respected.
- GENDER EQUALITY IS A FUNDAMENTAL CONDITION FOR A JUST SOCIETY. I fight for social and economic equality for women. I condemn any act of violence against them.
- I RESPECT THE GENDER IDENTITY AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION OF EACH HUMAN BEING. We all have the same rights.
- I EXPRESS MY SOLIDARITY WITH THE UNDOCUMENTED MIGRANT COMMUNITY. I defend the rights of my conationals on the other side of the Mexico/U.S. border in the same way I defend and welcome those who migrate to or through Mexico.
- I SUPPORT EDUCATION, CULTURE, SCIENCE AND ART AS THE BASIC PILLARS on which our country must be constructed.
- RESPECTING THE ENVIRONMENT means respecting myself.
- I DEFEND FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN ALL ITS FORMS. Freedom is a right that I protect and demand.
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