Hell Is Rising in Oaxaca: An Interview With a Oaxacan Rebel
When I lived in Washington state, some of my closest friends were from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. I have kept in touch with a few of them and they have kept me in touch with the rebellion unfolding in the streets of Oaxaca the past few months. After the escalation of the situation there on October 27, 2006, when paramilitary forces shot and killed four people (including Indymedia journalist Brad Will), I spoke with my friends David Abeles and Hilaria Cruz who helped me contact some of their people in Oaxaca city. Given the circumstances currently existing in the area and the uncertainty of the immediate future because of the military and police presence there, I felt that the best way to get firsthand information out to the wider world would be to conduct an email interview. The first interview is below. I hope to have another one ready in the next couple days.
Ron: Hey Tomas. Thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions. Would you be willing to introduce yourself?
Tomas: Hi, I would like to salute all the readers of this electronic journal. My name is Tomas Cruz, I am a native from a community in Oaxaca in the highlands. I was forced by the economic situation to migrate to the States. Fortunately I gained an education at the Evergreen State College. I also went the University of Texas for a graduate degree in Latin American studies.
Ron: So, you've been in Oaxaca during the entire uprising? Can you tell us the sequence of events as you see them up to now?
Tomas: I am a Oaxacan native with graduate training at the University of Texas at Austin. I have been involved in diverse NGOs working for the communities in Oaxaca up until the time of the Oaxacan uprising.
What we are seeing in Oaxaca is a breakdown of political system that is completely corrupt and deliberately abuses its citizens at will, using the legitimacy of the state to impose a government that only uses power to advance a personal agenda and that of a very small political oligarchy. Since the start of the present government it was characterized by repression of political leaders, immediately killing them and imposing its repressive mode of government.
The result of the events which are occurring as we speak began with an every year demonstration by the teacher´s syndicate. In the 14th of June, the state police attacked the teachers which were at the zocalo in a permanent demonstration.
The response from the citizenry was immediate, hundreds of people joined the teachers strike and saw an opportunity to stop the continued abuses from the government.
I can only describe what is occurring as catharsis of the population, especially of the immense poor population of the city, which survive.
After the attack by the state and the immense response from the population the most remarkable event in the politics of the movement has been the formation of a popular assembly of the pueblos of Oaxaca also known as APPO.
The APPO organizations have been capable of resisting all the attacks from the state government, from spots attacking the protesters as a bunch of radicals to the death squads sent to kill people that were protesting at night.
The response from the APPO was to develop barricades to stop the death squads. This resulted in a historical and animated political culture, with also a strong popular support.
In the recent days, the violence escalated in one single day in which the international reporter died at the hands of the mercenaries payed by the governor.
Yesterday, there was an intervention from the federal police after the multiple deaths and probably also after the international pressure after the death of one international reporter. The federal police killed at least 4 people and raped one woman in the intervention. The response from the APPO is to maintain the protest until the governor resigns and the political system is reformed.
Ron: What groups were involved that you know of? Also, I imagine that many people were unaffiliated. What were their reasons for joining, in your estimate?
Ron Jacobs is a writer, library worker and anti-imperialist. He is the author of The Way the Wind Blew:A History of the Weather Underground (Verso 1997) His first novel, Short Order Frame Up, is now available at Amazon, and many other stores.
There are support protests in front of Mexican embassies and consulates all over the world. Some have succeeded in blocking business as usual, and in Barcelona the protesters managed to occupy the building.
Anyone who wishes to show support for justice in Oaxaca can go to their nearest Mexican embassy or consulate. You can bring a hand-made sign saying Justice for Oaxaca, or bring food for the protesters who, in many places like here in San Diego, are maintaining a 24-hour vigil in shifts. Just showing up for a few moments will help by letting them know that you care. Usually they will have photos, updates, links, and sometimes the latest news by cell phone direct from Oaxaca to share.
Since our tax money is helping to pay for the repression in Oaxaca, we need to show that we do not consent.
by
Mark E. Smith (21 articles, 30 quicklinks, 100 diaries, 1325 comments)
on Tuesday, October 31, 2006 at 12:45:14 PM
1 comments
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