Oaxaca Overview on Rustbelt Radio

November 1st, 2006 – Rustbelt Radio writes: An overview of the uprising in Oaxaca with interviews with teachers at the barricades, Oaxacan townspeople, international activists, Mexico City media activists and footage from Brad Will’s last video

Audio: Download the mp3 (21:45 minutes / 20 MB)

This is an excerpt from the Oct. 30th edition of Rustbelt Radio and features a 6 minute translated interview with two Oaxacan Teachers excerpted from about the struggle, an interview with Rafaél Vaca Muñoz from Centro de Medios Libres in Mexico City, Audio from the barricades Brad Will’s last video as well as interviews with Pittsburghers who are in Oaxaca, and a reading of Brad Will’s last communique.

All audio is in English or Spanish with english voiceovers.

Total Length is 21 minutes 45 seconds

Teacher Interview is 6 minutes 20 seconds

Teachers at the Barricades

Download the mp3 (36:34 minutes / 33 MB)

Transcript: https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/16/18320774.php

source: http://radio.indymedia.org/en/node/15548

Rustbelt Radio
radio@indypgh.org
412 921 3000

One comment

  1. From: Oaxaca Solidarity
    oaxacasolidarity (at) hotmail.co.uk

    Subject: Human Rights Violations in Mexico

    Monday 31st October 2006

    Hi guys,

    This week I made a promise and in reading and forwarding this email, I hope you will help me to keep it.

    I have been in Oaxaca, Mexico, where there has been a continuing strike by local teachers and other community organisations demanding democracy in Mexico.

    The teachers staged a walk out demanding higher pay and better working conditions which was attacked on the 14th June this year by riot police armed with batons and tear gas. Following this use of excessive force and violation of human rights which left over 100 people injured, the police were ousted from the city and the demonstrators had been camped in the centre ever since.

    After the attack the demands were extended to seek the resignation of the local Governor Ruiz, who commissioned the attack and whom they accuse of abuse of power and repressive tactics.

    In the five months following this action around a dozen people, mainly protesters, have been killed in state sanctioned violence. That is shootings, often drive by, carried out by plain clothed police and / or military officials. Many others have been arrested and still more are said to have ‘disappeared’.

    In one of the bloodiest days of recent weeks, on 27th October four people were killed, including an American journalist, Brad Wills, who I had the pleasure of meeting the night before he was tragically shot by paramilitary gunmen while filming an attack on the protesters.

    Two days ago, in a bid to end months of turbulence and take back the city from the people, Mexico’s president sent in 4000 federal police armed with batons and military troops armed with rifles. These troops were backed by helicopters and tanks. To defend themselves the protesters had only rocks and fireworks.

    Yesterday the Oaxacan people came under attack from these troops, protesters having been both gassed and beaten. Although I am no longer in the city, reports are that at least one protester was killed with two other deaths as yet unconfirmed. Houses have been raided, up to 50 people are reported to have been arrested and the police have now retaken the town. Although the protesters are no longer camped in the city, the threat of violence and kidnapping remains as they go back to work, one of the reasons they have stayed in the safety of the blockaded town centre for so long.

    ______________________________________________________

    Three days ago when my friend and I were surrounded by distraught teachers in the centre who informed us of Brad’s death, they begged me to tell people exactly what the Mexican government has been doing. Let me make it clear that the entire time I was in Oaxaca I never felt under any threat from the local people. The only real danger was from the police and military.

    These teachers are truly brave people who were doing the only thing they could to support a cause they believe in, all the while going without pay and under constant threat of violence. Given their sacrifices, this email is the least I can do for them.

    Please forward this on to raise awareness of the situation in Oaxaca. This is not a junk email. If you ignore it, you won’t get bad luck for the next 7 days, but you will be allowing these violations of human rights to continue and sending a message to the Mexican government that we don’t care about it’s increasingly common tactic of extrajudicial executions.

    For more information the following links are useful:

    Indymedia coverage – http://www.indymedia.org.uk

    BBC coverage – http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6096960.stm

    Reuters coverage – today.reuters.com

    If you are in the US there are several protests being carried out today at Mexican Embassies. The protest in London is already underway. If you have the time it would be an amazing show of solidarity if you could attend.

    Thanks so much for taking the time to read this.

    (Name withheld)

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