Condemning his persecution and the persecution of his members,Napoleon Urrutia Gomez, president of the Los Mineros, the Mexican steel and mineworkers union, expressed his deepest gratitude to the United Steelworkers for our union’s solidarity in demanding his return to his legitimate role as the elected president of his union.

Gomez was illegally removed from his office more than three years ago on trumped up charges after accusing the government of colluding with Grupo Mexico in committing what he called “industrial homicide,” after it shut down a mine only six days after 65 miners were trapped below ground following a deadly explosion.

Gomez, who is being given asylum by the USWin Vancouver, Canada, called the assault on his union “one of the worst political persecutions and abuses of powers. We have defended our union with dignity and have received all kinds of threats – even death threats.

“They have assassinated three of our members. They have kidnapped some of our members and beaten others. We have resisted them all. Because we have committed no crime. They are the real criminals acting like the mafia.”

Gomez accused the Mexican government of controlling unions with the same sort of fascist methods employed by Benito Mussolini to control unions in Italy before and during the SecondWorldWar.

“We cannot allow these criminals to win this war against unionism. An aggression against one,” he said emphatically, “is an offense against everybody.” Watch the entire address: