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From: Ricardo Dominguez [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 30 October 2006 15:07
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: New Electronic Blockade Of Mexican Continues as Army Attacks Oaxaca
PLEASE PASS FORWARD
Electronic Blockade of Mexican Goverment that was started by "Reclaim The
Commons" on Sun, October 29, 2006 continues on the Electronic Disturbance
Theater site - due back end problems at mountainreble.net.
SO PLEASE JOIN US IN PROTEST AGAINST THE MEXICAN GOVERMENT FOR THE ATTACKS
ON
THE TEACHERS OF OAXACA
ORIGINAL CALL
Electronic Blockade of Mexican Embassy and Consulate Websites In response to
a
call to action to remember Brad, show solidarity with the teachers and
protesters of Oaxaca, and attempt to interrupt the invasion of Oaxaca that
Fox
is beginning, join this electronic blockade of the websites for all of the
Mexican embassies and consulates in the United States and Canada.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN
http://www.thing.net/~rdom/ecd/oaxaca/Start.html
Thank you Electronic Disturbance Theater
<<<UPDATES>>>>
Police Storm Oaxaca to Suppress Protest
By Mark Stevenson
Associated Press
Monday, October 30, 2006; A14
OAXACA, Mexico, Oct. 29 -- On the order of President Vicente Fox, federal
police backed by armored vehicles and water cannons tore down barricades
and stormed embattled Oaxaca on Sunday, seizing control of the city center
from protesters who had held it for five months.
A 15-year-old boy guarding one barricade was killed by a tear gas
canister, said Jesica Sanchez, a human rights worker.
The conflict has pitted the governor of the state of Oaxaca against a
coalition of citizen groups and striking teachers demanding his ouster.
With helicopters roaring overhead, police earlier entered the city,
normally a picturesque tourist destination, from several sides. They
marched up to a final metal barrier blocking the center, but pulled back
as protesters armed with sticks attacked them from behind, hurling burning
tires. The air filled with black smoke and tear gas.
Some demonstrators used syringes to pierce their arms and legs, then
painted signs in their own blood decrying the police.
As night fell, however, protesters abandoned the center and regrouped at a
local university. They pledged to continue their battle to persuade Gov.
Ulises Ruiz Ortiz to resign, even as police tore down the banners and
tents in the center that had served as demonstration headquarters.
At least eight people have died in the unrest since August, including Brad
Will, an American and volunteer correspondent for the Web site
Indymedia.org who was shot dead Friday along with two Mexican protesters.
Fox, who leaves office Dec. 1, had for months resisted repeated calls to
send federal forces to quell the protests.
In Oaxaca, the teachers protest is an annual rite that began 26 years ago.
The protests are usually peaceful and generally last a week or two, but
this year the teachers became infuriated when Ruiz sent police to
forcefully remove demonstrators from the city's idyllic squares.
Last week, teachers tentatively ratified an agreement that would allow
them to return to classes at an unspecified date and receive 30 percent
raises spread over six years. Their unmet central demand, Ruiz's
resignation, threatened to undermine the fragile pact.
CR 2006 The Washington Post Company
<<<MORE>>
http://laluchita.blogspot.com/2006/10/oaxaca-burns-pfp-invasion-right-now.ht
ml
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Oaxaca Burns: PFP invasion right now
What began as an article about the murders of Oaxacan protesters and a New
York journalist changed as La Jornada is reporting that the invasion of
Oaxaca by Mexican Federal Preventative Police (PFP) is happening RIGHT
NOW. According to Radio Universidad, (reporting live over the internet)
PFP have advanced to area around the Oaxaca City center and PFP elements
wearing balaclavas over their faces are invading private houses and
arresting protest leaders.
At 3:53 Oaxaca time, La Jornada reported that PFP elements have reached
the Historic Center of Oaxaca City, while all day Oaxacans have been
reporting confrontations with police and "gangs loyal to (Vicente Fox)."
At 4:10, Radio Universidad was asking for people in Central Oaxaca to
report whether the town center was occupied by Federal Police. They were
also asking people at the barricades not to fall into violent
provocations, and to move any non-strategic barricades around Radio
Universidad to "defend the voice of the people."
They also said that, anyone who is willing to risk it, could put sugar in
the gas tank of the PFP tanks taking down the barricades. They also said
that the tires cuold be slashed on the cars carrying people, whether
uniformed or not, who come to attack barricades and protest centers.
UPDATE: Radio University is saying that armed groups dressed as
civilians are heading towards the "University City" neighbhorhood where
the Radio his to attack the radio station. An announcer responded "We are
ready to die here... fighting for our children... in defense of our
autonomy... in defense of liberty and justice." They also report that
around forty people are being detained where a PFP helicopter landed to
arrest them. Others have reportedly been kidnapped by people who have not
clearly identified themselves whether they are police or not. Radio
Universidad is warning Oaxacans not to move around Oaxaca alone, but in
organized groups. The wife of one disappeared man says that a truck with
the Televisa logo were in communication with the kidnappers, though it
wasn't clear to her whether they had been police.
At 6:25 Eastern Daylight Savings Time, Radio Universidad is reporting
the the Canal 9 television station, currently run by protesters, is under
attack.
At 6:36 EDST, Radio Universidad is reporting that protesters in some
places have reported live rounds fired by PFP elements.
At 6:46 they are announcing that an ambulence has been seen
transporting PFP forces.
A time line for the events in Oaxaca are available on Oaxaca Indymedia.
RESPONSES
As the PFP marched on the Oaxaca town center, a march was organizing in
"University City" neighborhood to reinforce the defenses of Radio
Universidad and march toward the town center to defend it. At 4:55 police
were heard attacking the march, causing a panicked cry to ring out on live
on Radio Universidad, where announcers asked people not to physically
touch the PFP to avoid violent physical confrontations.
Protesters have organized a demonstration at the Mexican Embassy (1911
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW,Washington, DC) on Monday, October 30, 5:00 PM. In
New York City protests are being held continualy at the Mexican Consulate.
Oaxacans are calling people who can make it to come to Oaxaca, a march is
organized in Mexico City, and people around the world are called to
protest in front of Mexican Embassies and Consulates at 6:00 PM on Monday,
October 30. Zapatistas have also issued a call urging solidarity with the
movement in Oaxaca.
UPDATE: Radio Universidad is reminding listeners that people at the
barricades need water, food, and blankets to remain in "peaceful popular
resistance." They are also asking for diesel fuel for their ambulance that
is running out of case with a injured reporter from the newspaper
Excelsior inside.
Mountain Rebel is also announcing an "electronic blockade" of Mexican
Consulates and Embassies.
BEFORE THE PFP INVASION
Friday October 27th was the bloodiest day in the ongoing uprising in the
Mexican state of Oaxaca.
Nancy Davies writes for NarcoNews
The dead have now been identified as Emilio Alonso Fabia'n, Bradley
Will and Eudocia Olivera Di'az. The fourth reported death, of Esteban
Zurita Lo'pez, is at the center of accusations by both sides of the
conflict, with each blaming the other.
Brad Will was a filmmaker from New York Indymedia killed while his camera
recorded by "police or paramilitaries according to locals." Diego Enrique
Osorno, writing for Narco News, identifies Emilio Alonso Fabia'n as a
teacher from the Los Loxicha region and Esteban Lo'pez Zurita a resident of
Santa Maria Coyotepec where one of the paramilitary attacks occurred.
Update: These murders occured as part of a massive coordinated attack by
armed, often masked, individuals reportedly working for state political
parties. Calling themselves "neighbors" they "acted with impunity"
attacking protesters with firearms. Mexican Press has identified as active
participants in the murder of Brad Will, the cheif of police (Seguridad
Publica) of Santa Lucia del Camino, Avel (sic) Santiago Za'rate, the chief
of personel of the PRI affiliated City Council, Manuel Aguilar, and a
local elected Delegate of the PRI, David Aguilar Robles.
Mexican Press is also reporting that planes full of Federal Preventative
Police (PFP) are being sent from Mexico City, supposedly to quell this
violence. However, the whole time that the violence against the protesters
built up into "low-intensity warfare," the federal government threatened
to send forces, which locals interpreted as a way to repress the Oaxacan
people as the PFP had done in Atecno (where the Federal Preventative
Police killed two young people, beat many others, deported foreigners,
raped female prisoners, and hold more than 30 political prisoners to this
date).
The PFP had not come until now for several reasons. One has to do with the
fact that Oaxacan Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz is from the Institutional
Revolution Party (PRI) and President Vicente Fox is from the National
Action Party (PAN). Fox and the PAN were unwilling to dirty their hands on
behalf of an opposing political party, especially before elections or
while Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of the Party for Democratic Revolution
(PRD) contested the victory of PAN candidate Felipe Calderon. The
accusations that Calderon won the election fraudulently also explain why
the federal government and the PAN will not pressure Ulises to step down.
If Ulises, whose election victory has been contested as fraudulent, is
thrown out of power by a popular uprising, then a dangerous precedent has
been set for all of Mexican society as far as the political parties are
concerned.
Al Giordano of Narco News also points out that the mathematics of a police
repression in Oaxaca are different than Atenco. While the PFP sent about
3,000 agents into Atenco, a town of several hundred, the city of Oaxaca is
inhabited by half of a million people, several thousand of which appear to
be ready to fight at the barricades. The only thing worse than not sending
in federal forces would be sending the forces in only to see them get
chased out.
ORIGINS OF THE CONFLICT
This all started as a routine labor strike by Section 22 of the Mexican
teachers union (often referred to in Spanish language press as "el
magisterio") escalated into a state-wide revolt after state police tried
to violently evict the encampment of striking teachers on June 14.
The teachers union and the newly formed Popular Assembly of the Peoples of
Oaxaca made the ouster of unpopular governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz, widely
considered to have won the election by fraud, their primary demand. As
violence by police, paramilitaries and mercenaries escalated, the
protesters began barracading their neighborhoods in self-defense. For
example, after the Radio Universidad radio station used by the teachers
union was attacked, protesters responded with a wave of radio station
takeovers. But the protesters also began organizing to put their demand
into action, declaring Gov. Ulises "banned" from Oaxaca, seizing
government buildings and chasing out politicians from the local and state
governments.
Violent attacks had for months been escalating against protesters, in what
protesters said was part of Gov. Ulises Ruiz Ortiz's repressive Operation
Iron ("Plan Hierro"). Brad Will himself documented this with an article a
week ago called "Death in Oaxaca". With the murder of the indigenous
teacher Panfilo Hernandez, the death toll was at 9 for the protesters.
Meanwhile, political parties and the commerical Mexican media were
reporting that the protesters were killing people, often without saying
the name of the supposed victim or the time and place of the supposed
killing. The killing of dissident teacher Jaime Rene' Calvo Arago'n, (who
argued for the teachers to return to classes) was blamed by the government
on protesters, while protesters blamed the government or paramilitary
mercenaries of the PRI of killing the teacher as a pretext to repress the
protestors, as reported by La Jornada.
Reporting on this situation has been non-existent on BBC and CNN, though
BBC ran a story on the killing of Brad Will, mis-identifying him as
William Bradley. Now that the repression has arrived, the question remains
how Oaxacans, Mexicans and people of the world will respond, with apathy
or action.
UPDATE: Since 7:00 PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time, I have been
unable to access Radio Universidad over the internet.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: If you are bilingual (in any two languages) please help get
this information out. Go to NarcoNews and volunteer to translate news and
information for those less blessed linguistically.
_________________
Simon Fitzgerald just returned from Mexico where he reported on The Other
Campaign for NarcoNews. He also writes the blog La Luchita
# posted by Simon Fitzgerald : 4:49 PM
Comments:
Fantastic write up. I've fixed the formatting of the piece on nyc imc as
best I could, and posted a link for people to come here for the perfectly
formatted version.
Thanks for sharing it.
Chris Anderson
NYC IMC
# posted by Anonymous : 6:02 PM
Hello.
I'm a oaxacan, i've lived in Oaxaca my whole life and i've seen this
confclit since the start. Let me tell you that you and narconews are the
only reliable source of english news i've found regarding this conflict.
I'm no journalist, but i've set up a tiny blog where i translate and rely
info from various sources (la jornada and APPO radio mainly) for all
english readers to learn what's woing on and spread the word of this
conflict.
el_oaxaco.livejournal.com
I'm not as brave as those that are outside right now, resisting and
fighting for a better life, but at least i can tell the world what is
going on. Please, don't stop telling everybody the way our "government"
tries to shut us up.
thanks
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