International
Washington, D.C. 20005
Phone: (202) 827-6673
Email: info@mayanleague.org
www.mayanleague.org
INDIGENOUS SOLIDARITY – END GENOCIDE OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE!
Piscataway Nation Territory – The International Mayan League denounces the genocide in Palestine and the brutal repression and criminalization of student-led peaceful movements on Turtle Island (U.S.) demanding an end to genocide against Palestinians. As of April 26th, the death toll is 34,845 Palestinians, of which 14,624 are children and 8,400 are women. We also recognize and denounce the death of 1,139 Israelis. As the only Maya women and youth-led organization founded by Indigenous asylees fleeing the war andgenocideinIximulew(Guatemala)inthe1980s,wehaveanintimateunderstandingofthegenocide lived by our peoples with military aid and foreign intervention of the U.S. and technical training and assistance by the Israeli government. Today, we are witnessing genocide against Palestinians by the state of Israel with the military and financial support of the U.S. Just last week, President Biden signed a “$95 billion military aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.” Of this total, $15 billion is for Israel, we are horrifiedand denounce this financing ofwar crimes andgenocide. Thismilitary support will create not only generations of orphans in Palestine but will accelerate large-scale forced displacement, migration, and multiple generations of future refugees.
We will not stay silent as genocide unfolds against our Palestinian relatives even while our Ixil brothers and sisters continue to fight for truth and accountability that genocide happened in Iximulew (Guatemala). Across the U.S. students, professors, human rights leaders, diverse faith leaders, Indigenous Peoples, Black people, Jewish people, and many others are peacefully organizing and protesting against genocide. But in responsetopeaceful protests multiple universities haveresponded with repressionand police brutality Just last week, our brother and Cultural Advisor at the International Mayan League, Dr. Emil Keme (K’iche’ Maya) was one of 28 people violently arrested at Emory University. Per Dr. Keme, “The repression we suffered is basically apreview of what is comingto usin thenear future censorship andrepression against peaceful social movements.” We condemn the use of extreme violence at the hands of the Emory Police, Atlanta Police and the State Police that Dr. Keme and dozens of protesters had to endure.
Sadly, in the last couple of years, not just in the U.S. but around the world, we have witnessed disproportionate violence against Black, Indigenous and people of color Defending our right to Water, Defending Black Lives, Defending Sacred Sites against Border Walls, Defending against Transnational Corporation, and Defending Life against Genocide. And the response from the State and institutions has been violence, criminalization, persecution, and intimidation. In some of the worst cases, as we know only too well in places like Iximulew (Guatemala) these actions have resulted in the killings of our peoples.
As the movement to end Genocide against our Palestinian relatives continues across academic institutions, places for dialogue learning, and creating future leaders – we will continue to denounce the unjust violence unleashed on students and Professors. “No one expected the university [Emory] to react this way to a peaceful protest calling for [an end] to the attacks by the Israeli State against Palestinians in Gaza. It is a repressionthat studentsandprofessorsacrossthecountryareexperiencingat this moment,”saidDr.Keme.
As we stand in Solidarity with our peoples in Iximulew, we also stand in solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and sisters in Gaza who are fighting for survival, for life. We echo the global demands for an immediate ceasefire. We uplift the demands of the Palestinian people in Gaza for humanitarian aid, access to food, water, fuel, and medical supplies
Stop the bombing of refugee camps and hospitals! Stop the killing of children, women, and elders! Thousands of Palestinians and Israelis have died. The violence and killing on both sides must stop! We will not tolerate these cycles of war and genocide anywhere!
Piscataway Nation Territory | April 29, 2024| Kaje’ Chej