Mexican social movements: are they the same?

Saying that in Mexico there exists a social movement is perhaps not only imprecise but overall blind. In fact, there exist several social movements. the fact that they are not connected, makes it difficult to reach their particular purposes.

Oaxaca’s people struggle against assassin governor Ulises Ruiz is for example radically different from Attenco’s struggle. In Oaxaca, people ask for the governor resignation, and in return they have faced brutal violence and repression. In Atenco, on the other hand, people defended their land against occupation by federal government. By doing so, they organised themselves to avoid such injustice back in 2004, facing government revenge four years later, in may 2006.

video of the origins of APPO



In addition, there is also the Zapatista movement. It started as a guerrilla back in the 1st of January of 1994. Later on, as a bunch of letters arrived from the jungle signed by the sub-commandant Marcos, they enjoyed overwhelming worldwide support to their cause. But, what exactly is now that cause? Is it to fight for democracy? Is it the indigenous cause? It seems that nobody knows exactly now what being Zapatista means.

Videos of Zapatista movement





Finally, the post-electoral movement that has become a movement of civil resistance seems to be the only one with massive popular support and is very alive. It started right after July 2nd, when the electoral authorities determined that Calderon was the winner of that electoral campaign. Before the massive evidence of ‘inaccuracies’ between the poll stations outcomes and the results reported by the federal electoral institute, people just did not accepted the ‘official’ story.

videos of Calderon's imposition






and this of people demonstrating against Calderon (the very same day)



It was clear, that during the campaign Fox, his wife, most of the media enterprises, the church, and even governors that despite belonging to the PRI party supported both financially and politically, Calderon’s cause. On the other hand, Lopez Obrador, had and it seems that still has, and by far, the support of ordinary people. This last weekend, the movement of civil resistance celebrated the National Democratic Convention, which agglutinated a huge number of persons not only from the capital but elsewhere in the country and abroad.

As to the purpose of the civil resistance, it is clear that the ideal is to overthrown the illegitimate president Calderon. For whom at least remains the doubt as to the clarity of him having more votes than Lopez Obrador, as there is no doubt of the usage of public money in favouring him. The second purpose, and it seems to me that the movement sometimes focuses more on it, is to boycott brands and enterprises who supported the black campaign against Lopez Obrador, and also the electoral fraud.

Boycotting is somehow effective, as Walt-Mart itself has corroborated. But, at persons level it is a bit more complicated. Just now a new legislation has passed by PAN and PRI representatives. It allows Elba Esther Gordillo, the most corrupt cacique in Mexico, to use up to 20 per cent money from retirement founds of employees of the state, or bureaucrats, which means some billions of dollars (about 5.7 billion dollars). It is some say, a paying back for the favour of operating a huge structure of personnel to carry on the electoral fraud on the Election Day.

Elba Esther Gordillo, controls the National Teacher’s Union, which is the biggest in Latin America. With a territorial control of every poll station, she was able to literally put someone in every voting point, to ‘induce’, ‘put pressure on’, ‘convince’ and even ‘bribe’ voters to do as the ‘good teachers’ said: To vote for Calderon. With such a huge favour Calderon would, and will do whatever Gordillo wants him to, and there is little the civil resistance movement can do about it.

In addition, that very organisation controlled by Gordillo, actually acts as a contra social movement. It is difficult to believe that teachers can be so easily controlled, however, in a landscape full of poverty and deprivation, whatever teachers are offered means a huge improvement in their standard of life. For example, having credit to buy a house, a car, or even having access to better job conditions as ‘magisterial career programme’ which puts them at the middle or top of the pyramidal structure of the union represents a big deal. Hence, it is easy to understand how and why teachers accept such a situation that would be humiliating otherwise.

All in all, Oaxaca’s struggle against the tyrant, Atenco’s struggle in defence of their land, Zapatista struggle (for who knows what), and people’s movement of civil resistance seem to be rather disconnected. A good deal of advance was to link Oaxaca’s with Lopez Obrador, and Zapatista. However, due to the nature of each movement it was difficult to do so at the end. The best way to fight against repression and imposition by foreign governments and actors I believe is to be organised. Happily this last weekend the movement of civil resistance got together in the first National Democratic Convention precisly to do that, to get organised.

Here some videos from the civil resistance movement, it is the weekly tv program produced by Lopez Obrador Team in his legitimate presidency. Theses are the ones produced in March 2007.

March 27



March 20



March 13



March 6