Next photo shows a coach transporting people sympathetic to APPO, and the police escorting them to 'who knows' as they all seem to be arrested.
Last Snday 22nd of July APPO call for a demosntration to reject the commercial version of the Ghelaguetza and to demand an end to repression, many attended.
Most of them had specific demands to the government.
These are the people who federal and state government have label as guerrilla fighters, of course with the all the support from national and local media. Hopefully not international media.
Oaxaca was full of people asking to stop repression!!
there have been about 10 mega-marchs in Oaxaca to ask for Ulises Ruiz resignation, but last Sunday was one of the biggest!
On the other side of the city, police were ready to kick people, as they usually do.
Photos are from http://www.oaxacaenpiedelucha.blogspot.com/ and http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/ which is one of the media trying to link APPO with guerrilla fighters.
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Next is an email I sent to the European comittee of human ritghts, hoping that something could be done to avoid more assassinations and repression in Oaxaca.
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Dear Sirs and Madams of the Council of Europe for Human Rights
I dare to write you on behalf of the people of the Mexican State of Oaxaca, which within the next few hours, we feel will live another episode of Human Rights abuse.
As you may be aware, violence against people and Human Rights abuses in Oaxaca started on May-June of 2006, when the governor Ulises Ruiz sent anti-riot police to dissolve a peaceful demonstration the teachers had at the time in the city square.
At that moment, many civil organisations, unions, and ordinary people joined the teachers and created the popular assembly of the people of Oaxaca (APPO), which only demand was the resignation of the governor Ulises Ruiz. The official answer was yet more violence and repression where several people resulted dead or injured, and many others were jailed without trial.
Now the time has come for one of the most important indigenous celebrations: the Guelaguetza. It is a Zapotec word that means 'sharing'. It is the time after harvest when people from all Oaxacan regions come together and share whatever they have with their fellows from the other regions. It is the biggest brotherhood party.
The problem is that since some years ago a non-written deal exits in which people carry on with their celebration, the government promotes those activities to tourists and in the end everybody seems to gain from it.
With governor repression, people did not wanted to continue with that agreement, instead they wanted to do the celebration without the commercial aspect the government is only keen on. On the other hand, the government is planning to undertake such celebration whether the people do it or not.
Such situation has generated more violence, as last Monday people wanted to start with the celebrations but the government sent the police and more repression arose, about 40 people were arrested and many other injured, apparently one person died that day.
This Monday the 23rd, is the official starting of the Guelaguetza that would last for about a week. Now with the intervention of federal police and the army, there is very little room for optimism as City entrances have been blocked and selective arrests have begun.
In addition to that, Mexican media has launched a propaganda campaign against APPO, attempting to criminalise their struggle and linking to guerrilla groups. Such strategy is not new, it started about a year ago mainly aiming at discrediting the teachers strike. In a bigger scale, last presidential elections in Mexico account for the utilisation of black propaganda by the government and groups closer to the president to justify almost whatever means to keep the power.
Mexican people appeal to the international community as their only hope to avoid more assassinations.
I dare to write you on behalf of the people of the Mexican State of Oaxaca, which within the next few hours, we feel will live another episode of Human Rights abuse.
As you may be aware, violence against people and Human Rights abuses in Oaxaca started on May-June of 2006, when the governor Ulises Ruiz sent anti-riot police to dissolve a peaceful demonstration the teachers had at the time in the city square.
At that moment, many civil organisations, unions, and ordinary people joined the teachers and created the popular assembly of the people of Oaxaca (APPO), which only demand was the resignation of the governor Ulises Ruiz. The official answer was yet more violence and repression where several people resulted dead or injured, and many others were jailed without trial.
Now the time has come for one of the most important indigenous celebrations: the Guelaguetza. It is a Zapotec word that means 'sharing'. It is the time after harvest when people from all Oaxacan regions come together and share whatever they have with their fellows from the other regions. It is the biggest brotherhood party.
The problem is that since some years ago a non-written deal exits in which people carry on with their celebration, the government promotes those activities to tourists and in the end everybody seems to gain from it.
With governor repression, people did not wanted to continue with that agreement, instead they wanted to do the celebration without the commercial aspect the government is only keen on. On the other hand, the government is planning to undertake such celebration whether the people do it or not.
Such situation has generated more violence, as last Monday people wanted to start with the celebrations but the government sent the police and more repression arose, about 40 people were arrested and many other injured, apparently one person died that day.
This Monday the 23rd, is the official starting of the Guelaguetza that would last for about a week. Now with the intervention of federal police and the army, there is very little room for optimism as City entrances have been blocked and selective arrests have begun.
In addition to that, Mexican media has launched a propaganda campaign against APPO, attempting to criminalise their struggle and linking to guerrilla groups. Such strategy is not new, it started about a year ago mainly aiming at discrediting the teachers strike. In a bigger scale, last presidential elections in Mexico account for the utilisation of black propaganda by the government and groups closer to the president to justify almost whatever means to keep the power.
Mexican people appeal to the international community as their only hope to avoid more assassinations.
