Copyright © 1999 NLThomas
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Chiapas, Mexico - Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) received word from team members visiting the community of Acteal in the mountains of Chiapas that paramilitary groups are again threatening to massacre members of the pacifist Christian group Las Abejas (the Bees). Rumors indicate that plans are underway to attack the Abejas on November 1 -- All Saints Day.

Members of the Abejas take these threats very seriously. Similar rumors were circulated throughout the area just prior to the December 22, 1997 massacre that took the lives of 45 Abejas, mostly women and children.

The timing of these threats is very troubling. The period surrounding All Saints Day (Nov. 1) and The Day of the Dead (Nov. 2) is a major holiday in Mexico. Businesses and organizations (including Human Rights offices) will be closed from Saturday through Wednesday.

Traditionally this is a special time to remember one's ancestors and family members who have died. Mayan families typically mark this period by visiting the graves of the deceased, cleaning them, adorning them with special flowers, and often sharing a meal together at the grave site. It is a time of spiritual significance as Mayan elders conduct ceremonies using candles and incense to connect the spirits of the living with God and the spirits of those who have gone before. For members of the Abejas, it is a time to mourn the loss of those gunned down nearly two years ago and renew commitments to carry on their work of nonviolence.

Religious affiliation is one among many dynamics in the Chiapas conflict. Many, though not all, of the Abejas are Catholic. Many, though not all, of those associated with paramilitary groups in the area surrounding Acteal, including those apprehended in connection with the 1997 massacre, are Protestant. One way that Protestants show their distinctiveness is by not participating in All Saints Day or Day of the Dead celebrations. They consider it a pagan practice or devil worship which may be one reason this time period is being targeted.

CPT is aware that rumors have a great deal of power especially in a context where people have limited access to radio or television. Such rumors may be based in fact or they may be tools used intentionally to spread fear and intimidate people into silence and inaction.