Close to 5,000 people gathered in front of the Universidad Pedagogica Nacional Francisco Morazan (UPNFM) to demand the return of President Manual Zelaya. As they gathered one could feel the carnival type atmosphere with people dancing, blowing whistles and singing. As the march made its way down the main thruway, the high level of organization of the resistance movement was obvious. The university students quickly mobilized into action to maintain security. On foot and on motorcycles they drove at the head of the march and weaved in and out of protestors ensuring no confrontation or violence took place with the police. The streets were lined with heavily armed police and military personal protecting the western type fast-food establishments.
One could see university students checking individual press credentials ensuring there were no “infiltrators” trying to cause trouble. We are told this is standard protocol as the defacto government consistently tries to infiltrate the peaceful protests in order to instigate violence. As leaders of the march began their speeches on the street, suddenly a women took the microphone and started to yell. One could quickly sense the desperation and fear in her voice… “I need help …they are going to take him prisoner..they are going to take him away”. One of the leaders went on to explain that she was denouncing what just happened because her and her partner, who had just gone to the bank to make a transaction were identified as supporters of the president Manuel Zelaya and they detained her partner. The women grabbed the microphone again and started to yell: “We are not afraid… We are not afraid… You can register our car because we are citizens and in this country if there’s freedom of expression then they should let us freely express it …as long as Manuel Zelaya is not here there will never be peace..let it be known there can be no peace.”
With that the resistance movement sprang into action. A call was put out for a group to help and accompany her back to where her partner was being detained. Immediately, about 25 people rallied to her side marching back with her. There they were joined by many more people who with their collective voice demanding justice, managed to free him on the spot. As the women and her partner got into their car it was surrounded by the crowed who escorted them. As they drove away the crowd in a triumphant voice chanted “El pueblo unido hamas sera vencido… The people untied will ever be defeated.” In front of the Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Industria de las Bebidas y Similares (Workers Union of the Industry of the Beverage and Similar Industries) we were reminded by Bertha Caceres from Consejo de Organizaciones Populares e Indígenas de Honduras (Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras) why the struggle continues:
“For us this is part of our continued historic struggle. It’s not just recently that we have been demanding a participatory democracy but rather we have been struggling for this for a long time. This is why the role of black, indigenous and rural campesina (peasant) women has been so strong in defence of and for the reinstatement of the President Manuel Zelaya. We are not just demanding the reinstatement of President Manuel Zelaya, we are also proposing the refounding of our country. One of those steps is the installation of a national constitutional assembly, but not just any one but one that is of the people and democratic.”
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