Oaxacans Opposed to APPO Leftists March in Support of Sunday's Federal Police Intervention (Trans.)

El Universal ( Mexico City ) ^ | October 31, 2006 | Alejandro Torres, David Aponte & Jorge Octavio Ochoa ( translated by self )

[StJacques]

They are marching in Oaxaca in support of Ruiz

They are demonstrating in favor of the intervention of the Federal Preventive Police; they thank President Fox; they repudiate APPO

Alejandro Torres, David Aponte & Jorge Octavio Ochoa/Correspondents
El Universal (Mexico City)
Oaxaca City, Oaxaca
Tuesday 31 October 2006

12:18 p.m. Sympathizers of Governor Ulises Ruiz are carrying out a march in the streets of the city of Oaxaca, in which they are shouting slogans against the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca (APPO).

The demonstration left around 10:30 a.m. from the Seven Regions bridge on Porfirio Diaz, and it continues by Juarez Avenue going towards the center of the city.

At 11:40 a.m., the contingent of some two thousand people, approximately, arrived at the El Llano park to carry out a meeting in support of Governor Ulises Ruiz and to repudiate APPO.

Almost everyone can see white shirts or blouses, by which they are assuring everyone that they are a civil society and they are not activists of any party.

The demonstration is being carried out in the midst of great tension. At 11:44 a.m. a man was pursued by the multitude, who wanted to beat him.

A group put him in the building of a cultural center on Pino Suarez street to protect him.

Several of the participants are carrying large cards which support Governor Ulises Ruiz as well as the intervention of the Federal Preventive Police, repudiate APPO, and express gratitude to President Vicente Fox.

After the incident the meeting went ahead in the El Llano park plaza, just in front of the Juarez theater.

About the foot of the pedestal of the statue of Benito Juarez a man who raised an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe was noticed, while a woman held up a poster which Governor Ulises Ruiz used in his campaign to be chief executive of the state.

Some of the large cards carried messages like: "Leave Oaxaca APPO," "Welcome PFP," "Ulises, Oaxaca is with you," "Teachers, you are not the people," "Fox, we do not want the PFP to leave," among others.

Meanwhile they chanted the following slogans in chorus: "APPO leave, APPO leave," and "Ulises hang on so the people can rise up." At 11:55 a.m. they began to sing the National Anthem.

[StJacques]

I'm posting this article to let everyone know that now that APPO has been ejected from its control of the center of Oaxaca City and there are signs of businesses and schools reopening, that a minority who support Ulises Ruiz -- it would be improper to say that this is a majority view -- is once again able to come out into the open and express itself democratically. There are few things which show the anti-democratic nature of APPO, and I think the word "authoritarian" would apply to them, than the fact that they used violent intimidation to silence all opposition to their program while they held control of the city. We have had other posters bring credible information of APPO's silencing and control of the press, their threats against their opposition via the broadcasts of radio stations they seized, and even the murder of at least one dissident teacher who objected to the strike and possibly more.

This situation has not calmed down completely by any means. Tensions are still running high, as the above article makes clear. And the leftist press, especially the Mexico City newspaper La Jornada, is spreading some truly vicious poison in the rhetoric of its pieces criticizing President Vicente Fox for ordering the Federal Preventive Police to Oaxaca this past weekend. We will need to keep an eye on this situation.

[StJacques]

A Mexican Left Watch ping for you all.

Anyone wishing to be placed on the ping list may either ping me from this thread or contact me via Freepmail.

[be4everfree]

"The people", out in the streets, opposing the leftists.

This is really going to confuse the commie loving lefties over at DU.

[Brilliant]

I would really like to know what Senator Chris Dodd's opinion of all this is.</sarc>

[rovenstinez]

One spin is that APPO some here in Mexico think is getting their support from the PRD, and can bus people in from Mexico City, Chiapas to keep things in chaos in Oaxaca. THAT THEIR HOPE IS IF THEY CAN TOPPLE THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF OAXACA, then they will have credibility to topple the newly elected President, Calderon, by force, chaos, violence.

[DaoPian]

Good spot, I imagine lot's of people have been fed up and are looking to express themselves. Civil war is never fun, you could even end up fighting your own brother.

[StJacques]

". . . THAT THEIR HOPE IS IF THEY CAN TOPPLE THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF OAXACA, then they will have credibility to topple the newly elected President, Calderon, by force, chaos, violence."

I have read editorials from El Universal, La Crónica de Hoy, Reforma, and other newspapers which all say exactly the same thing you do, that the real goal is to set a precedent for overturning elections by illegal means. Negarán el Estado de Derecho.

[rovenstinez]

Friends from Oaxaca City had a hard time driven OUT of the city early this am, to Central Mexico. They complain that the "news" is tampered with, that there were deaths, and it is much worse than the news reports. There saw things differently that what is being reported on El Universal.

[StJacques]

". . . I imagine lot's of people have been fed up and are looking to express themselves. . . ."

Yes; I'm sure that is so. But I must admit that the mismanagement of Oaxacan state government by Ulises Ruiz has been so profound that it might not be a bad idea to submit his continuance in office to a popular referendum. The Mexican Congress could give it validity by guaranteeing that they will declare a "disappearance of powers" in Oaxaca if it passes, which would make it binding. It's time to turn everyone's attention back to the ballot box and away from street protests. That would be a major defeat for APPO in terms of the means by which they sought to achieve their goals, and if you read what rovenstinez posted above you will see that setting a precedent for overturning elections by means other than the ballot box is at the center of what APPO is trying to do, which I think could be quite healthy over the long run. I expect the PRD would eventually win the Oaxacan governorship but so long as everyone would be working within the system the outcome will be something everyone can live with. That's what democracy is really about, providing a means whereby everyone can get along by submitting disputes to fair elections. I've had enough of listening to these leftists telling us that "true democracy means recognizing the failure of the system to protect and promote the interests of the working classes" and blah! blah! blah! ....

[StJacques]

Well if you can tell us what you're hearing in Mexico City from your friends leaving Oaxaca, then please continue. Everyone here would love to hear your report.

[Alia]

In spirit I am standing with the two thousand. They are the beacons to the remainder of Oaxaca to stand together, be strong, and fight off these APPO insurgents.

With all the mayhem, the machete-murder of a teacher, with their government and their businesses shut down -- these people of Oaxaca are saying: We will not run. This is our city. We are the "little" people who make up this town. Go away, APPO.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I'm surprised Fox allowed this to run this far. Looks as if the usual head bashing by the Federales has been avoided.

[StJacques]

"I'm surprised Fox allowed this to run this far. . . ."

Had it not been for Lopez Obrador's attempt to overturn the results of the July 2nd presidential election, which brought many on the Left in Mexico to seek a "provocation" around which they could mobilize support for this effort, I have little doubt Fox would have acted sooner. He's been on a tightrope ever since July 2nd however. It was the violence which surfaced on Friday that developed an overwhelming body of support for his intervention and finally made it politically feasible to do so.

[StJacques]

I've got to leave the board for a while. Time to get ready for trick or treating this evening.

I might check back in briefly around 5:00 - 5:30 p.m. Central.

[StJacques]

Here is a pic of the anti-APPO march in Oaxaca today.





And here are two pics of businesses near the center of the city cleaning up and reopening in Oaxaca today, as things return to normal.








I just saw the Univision report on Primer Impacto and they showed the march. They also interviewed one woman who was both sad at what has happened to her state and angry at APPO. A second woman was interviewed who was distraught because her father and one other relative are both missing after the entrance of the PFP on Sunday and she seemed to imply the PFP -- or someone -- had kidnapped and done away with them.

APPO leader Flavio Sosa was interviewed and he was absolutely poisonous in his comments. He said there were only hundreds of protestors marching today, and Univision had already made clear that there were about two thousand as the above article states, and he went further in saying that these marchers "were all paid to be here," unlike his APPO members. Finally; Ulises Ruiz said he will not respond to the call of the Mexican Congress for him to either present proof of his ability to govern or resign. He stated that he was "going to defend the sovereignty of Oaxaca. These are internal affairs of the state."

[livius]

Very good observations (about Fox's reluctance to intervene). I think many Mexicans viewed this as a fight between leftists, and thought that the governing conservative party could not possibly win by getting involved.

But you can't let your citizens be slaughtered and the main industry of a region (tourism, in this case), destroyed simply because you want to keep your hands clean. I hope this leads to a reevaluation of certain policies on a national level.

[Alia]

I see children, mums and pops, uncles, tias, neighbors, business owners, employees marching in this 2000-strong assertion against the APPO.

Families.

He [Ulises Ruiz] stated that he was "going to defend the sovereignty of Oaxaca.

Bravo!

[Alia]

There saw things differently that what is being reported on El Universal.

I'd certainly appreciate seeing what they saw, through you.

[StJacques]

". . . I hope this leads to a reevaluation of certain policies on a national level."

Today's editorial on El Universal called for exactly that.

See the 3rd-to-last paragraph.

[happinesswithoutpeace]

Thank you again for putting these threads up.