A Call for International Solidarity

Oaxaca, the face of Mexican fascism

Oaxaca, 20 July 2007 – George Salzman writes: The struggle between the popular movement of rebellion and the government’s actions to totally crush it is at a critical point. I believe the situation is extremely dangerous for many oaxaqueños. Four days ago the governments (Oaxaca State, Mexican Federal, and I’m sure, fully backed by the United States) planned and executed a successful provocation followed by a savage attack on civilians. The resulting deaths, ferocious beatings, jailings, torture, etc., are by now well documented.

Let there be no mistake about it: this is not just a contest between a tyrannical, hated governor and the majority of the population in the state. It is a struggle of the majority of the Oaxacan peoples to gain control of their social lives, to end the exploitation of all the natural resources of the state by the forces of global capitalism and the local and national power elites embedded in and allied to that structure.

Yesterday afternoon I saw hundreds of police and military deployed on the large parking area at the side of the periferal highway at Fortin Hill. They were practicing loud screams in unison and maneuvers in preparation for the assaults their commanders anticipate on the next two Mondays if elements of the popular movement try to block access to the ‘official’ Guelaguetza by tourists and, no doubt, by Oaxacans forced by the Ulises PRI machine to come in buses to the city to attend these commercial events. URO will pay for the buses, and probably pay the compulsory attendees, as he did a week or so ago when he staged a big PRI election rally at the same stadium, when many indigenous folks from the southern Sierras were bussed in.

The popular movement has called for a boycott of the commercialized Guelaguetza. I hope they will not try to blockade the event, and will stay away from all the militarized and heavily armed forces of the governments.

Foreigners who are coming to Oaxaca City or are already here can act in solidarity with the popular struggle in various ways.

1. Stay away from the Guelaguetza Stadium on both July 23 and July 30, when the government plans to hold its commercialized events.

2. Stay at smaller, less expensive places, like hostels and modest hotels instead of putting your vacation money into the hands of the big hotel owners.

3. Don’t patronize the elegant tourist-oriented restaurants. You can eat quite safely at small stands in the markets and at street stands if you choose soups or stews, because they are well cooked, or fried foods, which are delicious and are also prepared at high temperatures.

4. Try to spend money intended for your travel purchases at small shops and from individual artisans, whose economic difficulties are causing much hardship and who the government helps not at all.

5. Tune in as much as you are able to the dynamics of what is going on here so that when you leave Mexico you can help inform the outside world of the reality through which the Oaxacan peoples are living.

6. As a foreigner your very presence here is an additional safeguard for the Oaxacans. I have lived here for almost eight years without ever feeling physically endangered.

The struggle here is an important part, an inspirational part of the growing worldwide struggle to change the forms of governing our social lives, to replace the value systems developed and enforced by capitalism, and to forge lives of dignity, health and happiness for all the world’s peoples. What makes the Oaxaca struggle notable is the commitment of strong currents within it to militancy, to non-violence, to non-hierarchical forms of social structure, to cooperation in place of competition, to local autonomy and, as much as possible, to local self-sufficiency.

source: http://site.www.umb.edu/faculty/salzman_g/S2/2007-07-20.htm

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via APPO

MARCHA DEL BOICOT 23 DE JULIO

Una marcha totalmente pacífica. Evitemos provocaciones.

¡EVITEMOS LA CONFRONTACIÓN!

8 Comments

  1. Oaxaca activists have shown us the power of cultural communication in drawing upon a traditional event such as the guelaguetza to demonstrate solidarity. I commend their non-violent response to the increasingly despotic use of power by the present government of the state, and the silence with which it is met by the national government.

  2. OAXACA IS NOT ALONE: STOP THE MASSACRE!

    The Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca (APPO) has issued an international call for ?mobilizations in your own places of origin, to integrate yourselves into a human wall to stop the massacre against the people of Oaxaca.

    This call comes in the wake of the violent repression suffered by the peoples of Oaxaca on July 16, 2007, at the hands of police, military and paramilitary forces as they attempted to celebrate the People’s Guelaguetza. As we write this, the repression has already escalated, with police and military forces occupying and completely surrounding the city.

    We have reports directly from APPO and VOCAL that a major offensive is expected against the movement beginning tomorrow, Monday 22nd, as the people attempt to boycott the government’s official “Guelaguetza.”

    Along with the petition calls that have already gone out and the call for all visitors to Oaxaca to boycott the official Gueleguetza, the APPO is calling for demonstrations and mobilizations of international solidarity like those that occurred around the world last October and November.

    Take Action:

    * Hold demonstrations and solidarity actions at the Mexican Consulate closest to you.
    * Document your actions and spread the word through independent media.
    * Flood the phone lines and write letters of protest to the Mexican officials listed below.

    Demand:

    * End police repression, harassment, and intimidation of the social and popular movements in Oaxaca
    * Condemn governmental actions and indiscriminate use of force by the State and Federal police
    * Demand the release of all political prisoners, holding Federal and State officials responsible in the case of arbitrary detentions and disappearances of civilians.

    Let the people of Oaxaca know that they are not alone. Let them know we are with them.

    Mexican Consulates in the U.S. and Canada
    http://elenemigocomun.net/2005/09/mexican-consulates-united-states-canada/

    A Full Report on the Battle for Oaxaca, July 16, 2007
    http://elenemigocomun.net/2007/07/battle-oaxaca-full-report/

    More Information:
    http://www.indymedia.org
    oaxacalibre.org
    asambleapopulardeoaxaca.com

  3. A Message from Oaxaqueñan Voices Constructing Autonomy and Freedom (VOCAL):

    Compañeros and compañeras,

    The past 16th of July, Ulises Ruiz in collaboration with the fascist Government of Felipe Calderón repressed another event of the pacifist Oaxacan movement. Between the dozens of detainees are Silvia Gabriela Hernandez Salinas and Maria Guadalupe Sivaja Ortiz, with which, next to David Venegas Reyes, who is maintained in prison in an illegal way, already three companions of VOCAL are detained by the Government of Oaxaca. The companions report to have been objects of bad treatments, groping and threats of rape. We think that these aggressions happened again during their transfer to the penitentiary of Tlacolula.

    In addition, we have had the news that the State has prepared an operative to repress the libertarian youth movement of Oaxaca which is aimed in specific at VOCAL and those who fight for autonomy and stay consequent with the principles and ideals of the social movement of Oaxaca.

    This is why at this moment and in views of the recent events and those who might occur next, we need the support and the solidarity of all.

    First of all we demand: The freedom of David Venegas Reyes, Silvia Gabriela Hernandez Salinas and Maria Guadalupe Sivaja Ortiz, as well as of all the political prisonners of Oaxaca and the country. The end of the repression in Oaxaca, as well as assurance of the individual guarantees of the social activists. The destitution and the punishment of Ulises Ruiz as well as of all the people in charge of the repression and the murders who were committed throughout the social struggle in Oaxaca.

    FOR THE AUTONOMY OF THE PEOPLE! PUNISHMENT TO THE ASSASSINS! AUTONOMY AND FREEDOM FOR ALL!

    Oaxaqueñan Voices Constructing Autonomy and Freedom

  4. 07/24/07 Protest at Mexican Consulate in Houston, TX in Support of Oaxaca
    houston.indymedia.org

    Accion en Puebla en Solidaridad con Oaxaca
    houston.indymedia.org

  5. Mexico: Probe Charges of Police Brutality in Oaxaca
    Protestors Allege Serious Abuses by Oaxaca Police

    (Washington, DC, July 24, 2007) – The governor of the Mexican state of Oaxaca should ensure that officials conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into allegations of excessive use of force and arbitrary arrests by police following a July 16 confrontation with protestors, Human Rights Watch said today.

    On Monday, July 16, a protest march by members and sympathizers of the Asociación Popular de los Pueblos de Oaxaca (APPO) ended in a violent confrontation with police in the state capital Oaxaca. The police fired tear gas canisters, as both marchers and police attacked each other with stones.

    Human Rights Watch has received credible reports that police carried out arbitrary arrests, pulling people from passing cars and buses, and beating those in custody.

    “If Governor Ulises Ruiz is committed to law and order in his state, he should ensure that alleged brutality by the police is thoroughly investigated and that those responsible are prosecuted,” said José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director of Human Rights Watch.

    The confrontation took place near the public auditorium where the Guelaguetza, an annual cultural festival, is being held this month. The APPO had announced its intention to hold a “popular Guelaguetza” as an alternative to the state-sponsored event.

    Police reportedly beat some of those arrested so severely that they needed to be hospitalized. Emeterio Merino Cruz, 43, was taken off a bus and arrested, reportedly because he had dirt on his hands, which police attributed to his having thrown stones. After several hours in police custody, he was transferred to a hospital with injuries that required surgery. He remains hospitalized in critical condition a week later.

    State officials in Oaxaca initially reported that a total of 40 people were detained and four required medical attention. The undersecretary for human rights for the state of Oaxaca, Rosario Villalobos, publicly acknowledged that there had been “excessive use of force” by the police and said that “the government will have to take responsibility for” these actions.

    “We recognize that the state of Oaxaca has a duty to prosecute any protestors who broke the law during the disturbances,” said Vivanco. “But as state police and other officials carry out their law enforcement duties, they also have an obligation to respect the basic rights of detainees enshrined in international human rights law and the Mexican constitution.”

    Human Rights Watch urged Governor Ruiz to ensure that any police officers being prosecuted for alleged crimes are immediately suspended from service. The governor should also issue instructions to state security forces that abusive treatment will not be tolerated under any circumstances, and that officers of all ranks who are responsible for such practices will face disciplinary action, including loss of their jobs and criminal prosecution.

    source: http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/07/24/mexico16464.htm

  6. México: Se debe investigar brutalidad policial en Oaxaca

    Manifestantes denuncian graves abusos de la Policía del Estado

    (Washington D.C., 24 de Julio de 2007) ? El Gobernador del Estado mexicano de Oaxaca debe asegurar que se realice una investigación exhaustiva e imparcial de las denuncias sobre uso excesivo de la fuerza y detenciones arbitrarias por policías durante un enfrentamiento con manifestantes en la Ciudad de Oaxaca el 16 de julio, señalo hoy Human Rights Watch.

    El lunes 16 de julio, durante una marcha de miembros y simpatizantes de la Asociación Popular de los Pueblos de Oaxaca (APPO) en la Ciudad de Oaxaca, se produjo una violenta confrontación con la policía municipal y estatal. La policía lanzo gases lacrimógenos para dispersar a los manifestantes mientras que ambos grupos lanzaron piedras.

    Human Rights Watch ha recibido informaciones creíbles de que la policía llevo a cabo detenciones arbitrarias, detuvo a personas que se encontraban en coches y autobuses, y golpeó a detenidos.

    “Si el gobernador Ulises Ruiz esta comprometido con el mantenimiento de la ley y el orden público en su estado, debe asegurar que las denuncias de brutalidad policial sean investigadas y los responsables sancionados,” dijo José Miguel Vivanco, Director Ejecutivo de la División de las Américas de Human Rights Watch.

    El enfrentamiento ocurrió cerca del auditorio público donde se lleva a cabo la celebración cultural Guelaguetza. La APPO había anunciado su intención de tener una “Guelaguetza popular” como alternativa a la que organiza el estado.

    Al parecer, la policía golpeó brutalmente a algunos de los detenidos quienes requirieron hospitalización. Emeterio Merino Cruz, 43, fue bajado de un autobús y arrestado aparentemente por tener tierra en las manos lo cual la policía atribuyo a que había lanzado piedras. Después de varias horas bajo custodia policial, Merino Cruz fue transferido a un hospital con lesiones que ameritaron cirugía. Después de una semana, permanece hospitalizado en terapia intensiva.

    Funcionarios del Estado de Oaxaca inicialmente informaron que hubo un total de 40 detenidos de los cuales cuatro requirieron atención médica. La Subsecretaria de Derechos Humanos del Gobierno de Oaxaca, Rosario Villalobos, reconoció públicamente que los policías estatales incurrieron en “uso excesivo de la fuerza” y acepto que el Gobierno tendrá que asumir su responsabilidad en estos excesos.

    “Evidentemente las autoridades del Estado de Oaxaca tienen el deber de investigar a cualquier manifestante que haya violado la ley durante los disturbios del 16 de julio,” dijo Vivanco. “No obstante, la policía estatal y otros funcionarios también tienen el deber de respetar los derechos fundamentales de los detenidos en conformidad con el derecho internacional de los derechos humanos y la Constitución Mexicana.”

    Human Rights Watch instó al Gobernador Ulises Ruiz a garantizar que todo policía bajo investigación por presuntos crímenes sea suspendido inmediatamente del servicio. Con el fin de evitar violaciones similares en el futuro, Human Rights Watch recomendó al Gobernador advertir a la fuerza pública que el trato abusivo no será tolerado bajo ninguna circunstancia, y que los funcionarios que incurran en estas prácticas serán destituidos de sus cargos y estarán sujetos a investigaciones penales.

    la fuente: http://hrw.org/spanish/docs/2007/07/24/mexico16465.htm

  7. Greetings this is a brother from the New York City metropolitan area who deeply share in the desired determination of our Oaxaquenos brothers and sisters for dignity and liberty from the wicked Babylonian infiluence of state sponsored repression and they should continue to revolt until the Babylonian governor is runed uot of the office by strictly paralyzing the entire state and the entire sister country of Mexico like our brothers and sisters did in the sister country of Peru against the other Babylonian puppet Garcia. Mucho mas lucha en oppociones Babylon y mas venceremos a nosotros hermanos y hermanas Oaxaquenos de APPO!

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