An attempt by the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca (APPO, in its Spanish initials) to repeat its peaceful "Gueleguetza" (an annual and folkloric tradition) ceremony was met by violent repression yesterday by the armed forces of disgraced governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz. Nancy Davies reports:
"The confrontations then began. Niños Heroes Avenue runs an east-west circle, Crespo and Joaquin Amaro go north-south. Standing on Crespo it was possible to see a bus burst into flames on Niños Heroes, to see the clouds of tear gas, to watch the small barricade under construction nearly at my feet, and the riot police stationed one block west at another access to the hill. Youngsters with their faces covered against the teargas were picking up canisters and hurling them, uselessly, back uphill at the police. Others broke up the pavement for stones to throw.
"...According to that report, the various police units brutally beat teachers and protesters, in addition to launching teargas against commercial establishments, private homes and public buildings. The violent escalation resulted in wounding photographers from Reforma, Noticias, Marca and Tiempo, who were covering the 'ferocious blow' by the police against the protesters."
Read the full text of Davies' latest commentary, as well as a report by George Salzman on the continuing popular movement in Oaxaca, online at Narco News:
http://www.narconews.com/
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