Oaxcaca falls?

OAXACA, Mexico - Federal police armed with assault rifles and riot shields stormed this normally picturesque tourist destination Sunday, bypassing barricades and touching off fierce street battles as they tried to end five months of protests and violence.

Since then, anarchists, students and Indian groups demanded the ouster of Oaxaca state Gov. Ulises Ruiz.

Before the police closed in on the plaza — which they have not taken back from the protesters — they had to climb over burned-out vehicles and move past hijacked tractor-trailers, buses and sand bags blocking streets. Some residents emerged from their homes to cheer and wave white flags, others fought the police to beat back their advance.

In Mexico City, several hundred supporters of the Oaxaca protests converged on a hotel where Ruiz was rumored to be staying, damaging the grounds around the entrance and screaming "Murderer! Murderer!"

U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza said Will may have shot by Oaxaca police. Local authorities said five men seen brandishing pistols at the time of the shooting had been turned over to authorities. Two were identified as members of Santa Lucia's city council, two as police officers and one as a former justice of the peace from another town.

Around thirty people showed up to the consulate at 9am chanting “Oaxaca unida, jamas sera vencido” to the beats of drums and banners reading “Justice for Oaxaca” and “Brad Will: Murdered by the Mexican Government” As the crowd reached the front of the building an advance group entered and eventually made their way to the second floor where the administrative offices reside. Some engaged the head of the consulate and presented him with our list of demands, while others entered un-occupied offices and used the consulates computers and telephones to contact media and Mexican government officials. One of the consulates computers was set to the electronic civil disobediance website (www.mountainrebel.net/oaxaca) which was designed to shut down the Mexican governments websites.

Once police began to clear the second floor, one protestor locked his neck to a wall mounted televsion and refused to leave. Unfortunately within a half hour the police found where the key was hidden and unlocked him. Amazingly there were no arrests made, and the demo came to an end with lively drumming and calls for solidarity.

A couple of blocks further, at another barricade, riot cops were lined up, shooting canister after canister of tear gas into the huge crowd of people that had filled the street to push them back. The battle against the cops was fought with everything at the people's disposal: rock, Molotov cocktails, slingshots, and cohetes (large bottle rocket fireworks). As quickly as the tear gas was launched, people ran to throw them away from the crowd of people, and just as quickly, compañeros were ready to guide the individual out of the gas and wash out their eyes and mouth. At one point, a cohete exploded right by a cop and the crowd cheered in excitement. As day gave way to night, the PFP was forced to retreat. On the last push, almost everyone moved forward, the roughly 300 foot street nearly emptying into the intersection the cops abandoned.

Welcome to Infoshop News
Thursday, November 02 2006 @ 03:27 PM PST

Police forced back as Mexico violence flares
Thursday, November 02 2006 @ 03:22 PM PST
Contributed by: Collin Sick
Views: 0
Thousands of protesters hurling Molotov cocktails forced riot police using tear gas and water cannons to retreat on Thursday as clashes spiraled out of control in Mexico's popular tourist city of Oaxaca. At least eight people were injured in the violence, including a Mexican newspaper photographer who was hit by fireworks launched from the grounds of Oaxaca state's university, a protest center. Federal police, who had taken over downtown Oaxaca last weekend in a bid to end a long-running conflict that has killed more than a dozen people, were pushed back by hundreds of leftist protesters guarding the entrance to the university.

Federal police, who had taken over downtown Oaxaca last weekend in a bid to end a long-running conflict that has killed more than a dozen people, were pushed back by hundreds of leftist protesters guarding the entrance to the university.

The gray-clad riot police earlier had gained the upper hand as reinforcements arrived in armored trucks and helicopters, spraying protesters with water cannons and firing tear gas canisters.

But they retreated after local residents, angered at the police presence, joined the demonstrators

"Nobody knows what is coming next with this fascist government," he said. "This is an occupying army."

Mexico's government earlier said in a statement that police would not enter the university. Rules prevent government security forces from entering autonomous state universities.

The entire structure of political organizations and institutionalized labor unions are, in spite of their differences, leaving Oaxaca in solitude during these crucial moments. No great social mobilizations have sprung up, like the ones that were started to stop the war against zapatismo in 1994, not like the mobilizations that arose against the Acteal massacre. The electoral routine, that is, the logic of the existing institutions, has taken over every social mobilization. There are a few declarations and a few protests, but no great mobilization of forces like the one organized in the electoral dispute.

The Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) is absorbed in the congressional aspect of the dispute. In Congress, the PRD voted in favor of the disappearance of power in Oaxaca and asked for a political trial. If that didn’t work, too bad, we saved our honor and we’re off for the extended weekend. All of the governors chosen by the PRD, including the one from the Federal District, signed next to Ulises Ruíz during the Conago

As in the unforgettable verse of the poet of Muerte sin fin (Death without end), Oaxaca is now the “solitude in flames.” The people of Oaxaca will leave this trial beaten up, but possibly more organized. Meanwhile, the vote collectors will have new occasions to remember other verses: “We are the ones who carry and we ride on the path / and everyone will get what they deserve.”