A 21 day long series of strikes and occupations by Sección 22 of the SNTE teachers' union in Oaxaca began in earnest on Tuesday with the (symbolic?) establishment of rotating plantones (encampments) in the Zócalo (main town square) of Ciudad de Oaxaca and outside of the education ministry building, demanding the freedom of all political prisoners from the 2006 unrest, the dropping of all charges and an end to intimidation against the movement, new elections within SNTE and the handing over of all schools occupied by the priísta Sección 59 (established by the SNTE leadership in order to combat within Oaxaca the dissident Sección 22).
They also occupied a tollbooth on the Oaxaca-Puebla motorway, giving free passage to all motorists, and blockaded the entrance to Oaxaca airport. SNTE teachers struck in solidarity in Michoacán and now government officials are pleading with SNTE members in Chiapas not to follow suit. It looks set to continue a while, in the next couple of days I'll get in touch with some contacts in Sección 22, see what's good down there.
