Popular Indigenous Council of Oaxaca "Ricardo Flores Magon"
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The Popular Indigenous Council of Oaxaca "Ricardo Flores Magon" (in Spanish, Consejo Indígena Popular de Oaxaca "Ricardo Flores Magon"), also known by its acronym CIPO-RFM, is an organization drawn from rural indigenous peoples and communities in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. The organization states that its goals (among others) are to "promote, diffuse and defend our human, territorial, economic, social, political and cultural rights, as communities and as individuals", which are to be accomplished through non-violent community-based action. Decisions within the organization are made through assemblies in which the participants work towards reaching a consensus. [1] Their namesake and inspiration is the late early 20th century Mexican anarchist, Ricardo Flores Magon upon whose legacy and principles the organization is based.
Since its inception in the 1980s the CIPO-RFM has reported experiencing varying levels of harassment and persecution by officials within Oaxaca government and by paramilitaries they suspect of being associated with the Oaxacan state government. [2] Members of CIPO-RFM have by their own account faced public defamation, ransacked homes and threats of death. [3] Several high profile members of CIPO-RFM are now living abroad as political refugees after having to flee Mexico due to persecution, including allegations of death threats and assassination attempts against members of CIPO-RFM. Among those now in exile include, Raul Gatica, one of the original founding members of CIPO-RFM. Mr. Gatica fled Mexico following persecution, including threats upon his life, and has been living in Canada since 2005. [4] [5]
As of September 2006 the membership of CIPO-RFM involves representation from 26 different, mainly indigenous, communities including Chatino, Mixtec, Chinantec, Cuicatec, Zapotec, Mixe, and Trique peoples, and membership numbers total approximately 2000 activists. Though most of the membership of CIPO-RFM is of indigenous origin the organization is also open to non-indigenous people, both from Mexico and abroad, and is supportive of broader grassroots progressive social movements and struggles throughout the world. [6]
