"The only one who can dismiss and impose governors is God." --Gov. Ulises Ruiz, November 2006OAXACA, MEXICO--Demonstrators (primarily APPO--the Popular People's Assembly of Oaxaca) again engaged Mexican Policia for control of the center of the city in what has been almost six-months of stand-offs and confrontations that began as a teacher's strike in July. But the strike has been met with extreme violence from off-duty cops, and unidentified vigilantes, and has grown into a movement against the corrupt Oaxacan state governor, Ulises Ruiz who is thought to be behind the vigilante-attacks as well. This can all be seen as a continuation of a cycle in Mexican politics that extends back to Aztec rule, as it is well-known that Oaxacans suffered under their domination before the time of the conquistadores.
Oaxacan-auxilliaries comprised most of Hernan Cortez's forces that took what was once the Aztec capitol, but is now Mexico City. It seems little has changed, and Vincente Fox, the oligarchs and foreign-interests have merely replaced the Aztec rulers who still harbor that cannibalistic-urge for human-sacrifice to maintain the social-order. In-response to the October invasion of the town by Federales today, protesters attempted to encircle the Policia, sometimes throwing fireworks and molotov cocktails. This is an escalation regarding the gasoline bombs, as protesters have previously refrained from using them in past-confrontations.
Presidente Calderon will be sworn-in on December 1st, and he will have his hands full. Protests by supporters of Leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador are also still very active in Mexico city. Viva la Mexico! Viva Zapata! Before the uprisings, Oaxaca was known as a tourist-center, but that ended in-substance after July. Much of this has been brewing in Oaxaca for some-time (years), with Leftists, Zapatistas, and the general-population being fired-on by PRI-supporters and municipal-backed vigilantes. In many-cases, nobody is safe from state-repression in the city and the state that bear the same name. It's hardly an exaggeration to say that local and federal Policia hold a monopoly on violence in the state. The vast-majority of fatalities are APPO-members and the local-citizenry. Imagine that. You don't have to, and dozens of people are disappearing in Oaxaca.
Viva la Muerte (to imperialists):
Viva la Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos:
First-Hand Account from October 31st:
Oaxaca News Blog (En English):
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