10 Questions with ANONYMOUS SpyPeople Crew on
#OpCarreterasseguras (#SafeRoads) in Mexico
John Reed
reportingfrommexico.blogspot.com
REPORTING FROM MEXICO: Not every day does an independent blogger like me have the opportunity to interview a representative of ANONYMOUS, but thanks to technology such as TWITTER and FACEBOOK, people like us can do what major media at times does not - report the news.
We broke the news of #Opcarreterasseguras about a week ago, when I began to notice twitter traffic about it, although I did not understand what this ANONYMOUS traffic was about. Then I hit upon the official website of this operation:
anonmediablitzcenter.blogspot.com
and quickly began to write about it. But since my last article on this subject, their website has been a useful guide as they keep us (the blogging media) and surely the main media informed. So once I identified @AnonPrelations (Twitter) as their spokesperson, I decided to contact him via twitter - surprisingly, he answered back.
After seeing the television interview that Segio Chapa from Action News 4 in Harlingen, Texas did about #Opcarreterasseguras, I decided to see if I could get lucky enough for an interview on twitter.
My request was approved.
The great thing about a twitter interview is that you can direct quote, thus making it easier on a blogger to report something like this. After you read the interview, I will provide my own opinion and feelings on this interview in my next blog entry.
For those readers that do not know what #Opcarreterasseguras (#SafeRoads) is about, it is an ANONYMOUS operation, according to them, focused on stopping the incidents of rape, robbery and kidnappings on Mexican buses traveling through out the country.
FIRST QUESTION - I have to ask this question because I know everyone else is thinking about it. Why do you guys not attack the drug cartels? Why did you guys say you were and then backed off later to say you were again?
AnonPrelations: This is an excellent question, thanks for asking it because it allows me to explain to your American readers what happened and settle this affair once and for all. Yes, an Anonymous member was kidnapped in October. As anons we rallied together to help one of our own. Once the roughed up anon was released we stepped back. It was the wise thing to do because in Mexico when the government attacks the cartels, they retaliate. If that is what they do to the government, what can we expect from our actions? Here is where the public misconception of ANONYMOUS begins and here is where I will correct that misconception using the words of a fellow anon, let me tell you who WE, ANONYMOUS are. WE are people who suffer, who feel pain, who bleed and who die. We are your average Joe on the street. We are students. We are professionals. We are children and parents. We are NOT superheroes or publicity hounds looking for our 15 minutes of fame. We are NOT police or soldiers. We are NOT trained in warfare and fighting crime. Our fight is different. Our fight is for those rights that humans are given from the second they are born. We fight the establishment who violates those rights, including free transit and free speech. Our job is to create a consciousness, an awakening. Our job is to make people realize that they are enslaved. And we are to do that by NOT shedding innocent blood or have innocent blood shed by our actions. It is the government's job to fight the cartels. It is their job to send trained people to fight crime. The only thing we do is to let the government know that the people have had enough and that it is time for the government to do their job correctly. And we will continue to demand they do the job we pay them to do and which is outlined in the laws of this country, whether they like it or not.
SECOND QUESTION - Mexico has numerous problems, like every other nation in the world, but how did ANONYMOUS decide on this particular operation of going after the bus companies and the Mexican government
AnonPrelations:An article written by SanJuana Martinez of LA JORNADA, a well-respected human rights reporter in our country, titled "SILENCIO COMPLICE" described several incidents of rapes and kidnappings on our highways. As a matter of fact here is the link so your readers can read, of course it is in Spanish.
http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2011/11/13/politica/010n1pol
The article bounced around in our anon circles and it simply lit a flame of anger in all of us. It described the testimony of several rape victims on a bus bound from Monterrey to Zacatecas that didn't allow me to sleep. It could have been my mother or sister on that bus. Then we began to research the topic and one after another we kept finding incidents on bus violence to passenger. We posted just a few on our English language press release, here is the link:
http://anonmediablitzcenter.blogspot.com/2011/11/press-release-by-anonymous-concerning.html
THIRD QUESTION - What exactly is #Opcarreterasseguras and what do you expect to accomplish with these actions?
AnonPrelations: Our operation is focused on bringing national and international attention to an ongoing human rights abuse that bus passengers face on our highways. This is nothing new, everyone knows this robberies, rapes and kidnappings are happening on our roads. We know that with media focus on these abuses, the Mexican government and the bus companies will do the right thing and meet our demands.
FOURTH QUESTION - What are your demands?
AnonPrelations: We will make them known to the international media that is currently following this operation in the next 48 hours, and then we will release the video to the general public. We will carry our demands in both languages Spanish and English.
FIFTH QUESTION - What and who will you target on December 10th, are all of you Mexican ANONYMOUS?
AnonPrelations: Those cyber targets are not known to me. The operational wing of our group SPYPEOPLE Crew, will inform me hours before the operation begins on the 10th. But we are not violent, we do not believe in caos but when the organization in charge of doing what is right don't follow through, we have to refocus them. After all that is why we pay our politicians and the bus companies when we purchase a ticket.Concerning about our nationality. The main group is made up of Mexican anons, but in this operation we will have Anons from Central and South America as well as European Anons. It is a multi-national effort.
SIXTH QUESTION - I notice that several American mainstream media are following you as well as #Opcarreterasseguras, but how are the Mexican media absorbing this.
AnonPrelations: They are not because we have not contacted any Mexican media.
SEVENTH QUESTION - Why not? That is very unusual.
AnonPrelations: Mexican reporters are targets in this country. We are first creating consciousness about this problem in the foreign media. So this week we focused specifically on the foreign media, we are building our case there first. This next week we will bombard with information the Mexican and Central American media being that the plight of the migrant begins in Central America and crosses Mexico. However when we begin the second phase of our media coverage, the Mexican media will report on what you the American media are reporting. This will allow them the freedom, without risking their lives, of covering #OpCarreterasSeguras remember 72 reporters have been killed in Mexico since this war started. You guys can say what our media cannot. So, our media campaign will be media friendly for our Mexican counterparts.
EIGTH QUESTION - Are you male or female and your English is very good. Are you Mexican?
AnonPrelations: Yes, I am Mexican. Concerning my gender, that I cannot tell you because I am ANONYMOUS. What I can tell you is that I have had the benefits of an excellent education abroad.
NINTH QUESTION - Why should my readers in the United States care what happens on the roads in Mexico?
AnonPrelations: I was expecting that question from an American and I am thankful you asked. Here let me download this picture...
This is a picture of the North American highway network. I want to remind Americans that Mexico is a member of the NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT. Our highways are used to ship products made by Mexicans to American markets. The same roads used to get those products to the United States are the same roads where rapes, kidnapping and robberies happen everyday. Do Americans know that their products are transported through highways of pain and misery? We are all interconnected.
TENTH Question - Have all ANONYMOUS operations had the media treatment that we are getting from you SPYPEOPLE CREW?
AnonPrelations: ANONYMOUS, SpyPeople Crew is learning how to do things better. We know that other ANONYMOUS groups are watching us at this moment and learning how to effectively reach out to the media outlets. Our operational people are really give a 100% to #OpCarreterasSeguras, everyone has their work assignments in SPYPEOPLE, mine is this one, Public and Media Relations.
Thank you for the interview and I hope I will be included in watching the video with the demands.
AnonPrelations:Thank you for taking the time to do this. On behalf of our people, we thank you for your service on behalf of Mexico and the Central American migrants.
End of Interview.
