Not many people outside Mexico have any idea who that is.
Most of you yankees north of the Rio Grande, if you've even heard the term at all, only have propoganda sources for the information.
I'm sure most of you think they are the devil in serapes.
Well, that just isnt true.
They are a group of self organized, indigenous, autonomists.
They have stopped asking for permission to be free, and have taken their freedom back from an over reaching central government.
Here is a quote from their spokesman's July 6th statement on the July 2nd election:
The EZLN has not responded to the latest developments. However, in a statement issued on Friday and signed by the subcomanders Galeano and Moises, the Zapatistas declared they don't support AMLO.
"They might change the overseer, the butlers and the foremen, but the owner is the same... at least the current illusion soothes that history of failures to which the foreseen disappointment will be added," it says.
Did you catch that?
'We are comforted by the attempt at change, but we we anticipate adding this to our list of disappointments.'
Here is some history of the Zapatista National Liberation Army.
A quote from a 1996 press release:
“The Zapatista Army of National Liberation Speaks to all who struggle for human values of democracy, liberty and justice.
To all who force themselves to resist the world crime known as "Neoliberalism" and aim for humanity and hope to be better, be synonyms of future.
To all individuals, groups, collectives, movements, social, civic and political organizations, neighbourhood associations, cooperatives, all the lefts known and to be known; non-governmental organizations, groups in solidarity with struggles of the world people, bands, tribes, intellectuals, indigenous people, students, musicians, workers, artists, teachers, peasants, cultural groups, youth movements, alternative communication media, ecologists, tenants, lesbians, homosexuals, feminists, pacifists.
To all human beings without a home, without land, without work, without food, without health, without education, without freedom, without justice, without independence, without democracy, without peace, without tomorrow.
To all who, no matter colours, race or borders, make of hope a weapon and a shield.
And calls together for the First Intercontinental Gathering for Humanity and Against Neoliberalism.”
(General Command of the EZLN, 1996)
According to this declaration, the socio-political situation in Chiapas represented only a small part of a bigger world-wide problem.
They acknowledged the fact that the struggle for freedom and peace was the ultimate utopia and that it was worth dreaming big and hoping to get as close as that as possible; at the same time, they recognized that if we are to achieve freedom and peace the only real way of getting there was if every single corner of the planet was involved, because if not then the results would only be partial, therefore: fake.
Little did you know, the zapatista army was some of the very first people to build an online presence.
By 1997 they were firmly established netizens.
As early as Jan. 1998 they were using the term infowar to characterize what they were doing.
Their headline read, 'Zapatista Army's air force attacks Mexican army!'
The article goes on to explain that the air planes were made of paper, their bombs words of love and peace.
They staged a ddos attack in April 1998.
They ran a candidate for president in 2018, Marichuy, but she didnt get enough signatures to make the ballot, despite her signatures being confirmed as authentic, while other candidates that did make the ballot had their signatures declared fraudulent.
And the struggle to be free from rule by force rolls on,...
If you are in the infowar, you now know more of its history.