Francisco Jay Aguilar: Free at last!

On Thursday August 30, at 4 pm, Francisco Jay Aguilar was finally freed from jail. He was the last one to be kept in jail in order to justify the farce orchestrated by the authorities of the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) with the complicity of the police chief of the Federal District, Joel Ortega. Clearly, the battle to prove his innocence before the courts and that of the other arrested comrades still goes on, but the most important thing is that Francisco Jay is now free and ready to go on with the struggle.

The IPN authorities believed that threatening to prosecute the 8 members of the CLEP-CEDEP arrested would be enough to smash the movement of the students excluded from university. The opposite occurred: not only has the movement not stopped, but it has received the support and solidarity of all the organisations of the IPN workers and of many of the university trade unions. This resulted in mobilisations and in the publication of three adverts in the La Jornada newspaper. The immediate solidarity campaign filled La Jornada's letters page for 12 days with letters from readers concerning the issue. This on top of dozens of reports in the press and the television that, although not impartial, were not able to downplay the brutality of the repression and the inconsistency of the allegations that were moved against the young activists that were arrested.

The movement of the students excluded from university led by CLEP-CEDEP is characterised by its militancy and the organisation of the excluded students themselves. This movement is totally independent from the authorities and the ruling class, but seeks unity with all the struggles of the exploited. It does not fall into the trap of "student autonomy". It recognises that the student movement is ineffective if it does not link up with the workers. This is the real strength of this movement and this is the reason why it is regarded as a threat by the IPN authorities and the government.

The movement is militant and well organised, therefore it was difficult for provocateurs to infiltrate it, thus making it difficult to find an excuse for repression. This was the reason why the IPN authorities and the Federal District government have seized the opportunity to strike without many witnesses, launching the aggression during the night with the aim of intimidating the students and their families.

Now, after the hard blow received by our comrades and their families, the CLEP-CEDEP has proven to be a determined and militant organisation, understanding that an injury to one is an injury to all, and acting consequently.

If they wanted to weigh up the CLEP-CEDEP, now they know that the militants of this organisation, as well as those who are part of the Marxist tendency Militante, are not kids that they can scare with a few threats, jail included.

As comrade Francisco Jay said, the real issue is the transformation of society, and that this transformation has to be socialist. A youth that understands this knows that the struggle implies risks that only a revolutionary can bear. In this context the militants of the Marxist tendency develop a model spirit and courage. The ethical commitment not to betray oneself and the other comrades is something that can only be gained through the struggle. Our comrades have shown this.

The jailed comrades have kept a model attitude facing the representatives of their class enemies, but we should highlight the particular case of Francisco. The other comrades were jailed together and they could benefit from the experience of an experienced, although young, cadre such as Nahum. This helped to keep the group united and firm. They also managed to develop a political debate with other prisoners, to such an extent that the revolutionary epidemic was infecting the prisoners themselves. The possibility of being held together was an element that helped the comrades in the most difficult moments.

Francisco was subject to isolation and to a level of pressure that no ordinary person could bear. If we consider that he was kept in jail for two weeks longer than the other comrades, the situation was really difficult.

We should pay a special tribute to Francisco for his resistance. Now he is back to his family and we are sure that his experience will help all of us to strengthen and transform our organisation into the revolutionary alternative that the revolutionary working people need to emancipate themselves from the misery and oppression that is capitalism.

Comrade workers, comrade students, comrades in the countryside and in the cities, the Militante tendency is waiting for you to join in the struggle for the most important aim of all: the emancipation of humanity.

Long live the student political prisoners!

Long live the CLEP-CEDEP!