Oaxaca Journalist explains protest movement

The following was received March 11, 2007. It is an English translation of an interview I (Bob Press) recorded along with other members of our human rights delegation to Oaxaca in December 2006. It explains the mounting repression and reasons for resistance from indigenous groups there during 2006. Bob Press (bob.press@usm.edu)


OAXACA - ANALYSIS INTERVIEW WITH JOURNALIST / EYE-WITNESS TO REPRESSIONWe reproduce here a very informative and moving interview with Pedro Matias,a lead journalist in Oaxaca. We interviewed Matias during our firstemergency HR delegation.[Also - at www.rightsaction.org/oaxaca, you can download and watch a25-minute interview (Spanish, with English sub-titles) with PorfirioDomínguez Muñozcano, a Oaxacan arquitect almost beaten to death by Mexican'security' forces].Please re-distribute and re-publish this interview, far 'n' wide. If youwant on-off this elist: info@rightsaction.org. WHAT TO DO: See below.===INTERVIEW WITH PEDRO MATIASOaxaca, Oax. December 2006.I wish to thank you for taking an interest in my well-being and in what ishappening in my country. I am not at all happy with what is going on hereand I am ashamed that in this day and age we are still living in primitivepolitical times.For the last 20 years I have worked as a reporter here in Oaxaca. I haveworked in different areas and am familiar with the situation in Oaxaca.Here, people live in extreme poverty. Past and present governments haveparaded social policies that are of no benefit to the people. Over theyears, I have seen how organizations, political parties and governments makeempty talk about poverty without ever really trying to eradicate it. Infact, I think they maintain poverty as a way of holding their position andtheir economic superiority.Clearly, if there were real social policies to help the poor, we would haveseen some progress by now - but absolutely no progress has been made. On thecontrary, the victimization of the poor has only gotten worse - there ismore violence and repression than ever and those who protest have beenattacked.YOUR STATUS AS A CITIZEN ONLY LASTS FOR A DAYI am truly disappointed in the electoral system we have in Oaxaca and in thecountry. I have come to realize that for Mexicans, especially Oaxacans,their status as a citizen only lasts for one day - they day they go out tovote, they are citizens. The next day, if they protest, if they try toexpress what it is they object to in the system, they are accused of beingrebels, insurgents, guerrillas or criminals. It is very painful for me tosee that our institutions are only there to serve an elite political class,a class that always protects its own members and has no concern for thepeople. They are elected by the people, but they only represent one sectorand they abandon the community.I find it surprising that they expect us to respect the Constitution of ourcountry, its institutions, the results of the elections and the politicalclass, but we can't question anything without being accused of being a rebelagainst the government. The result of this is that people feel they have noprotection.What I saw in this major popular uprising in Oaxaca is that people went outinto the streets to protest. June 14th was the day they locked out theteachers; it was the day the pressure cooker started to explode and a massprotest rose up against a lot of injustices - bitter grievances stemmingfrom the many unjust acts of past and present governments that have arrestedand repressed the people.JUNE 14TH WAS A WATERSHED IN OUR HISTORY: THE DIVIDING POINT BETWEEN THE OLDOAXACA AND THE NEW OAXACA June 14th was the day it all exploded and the people demanded to berespected. And all they got was repression, imprisonment, disappearings,murder, demonstrations and political propaganda against certain sectors fordaring to question the oligarchy, a government that is supposed torepresent the people but that no one can question; a government that is inits own bubble, a government that subjugates the people and does not allowthem speak up.June 14th was a watershed in the history of Oaxaca - a dividing line betweenthe old and the new Oaxaca. Oaxaca is not the same, it will never be, andshould never be, the same Oaxaca. It is up to the federal authorities tofind a peaceful solution to the situation. If they don't, we will findourselves in a revolt, a civil war in which each and every one of us willhave to defend our territory, our space and our personal selves.I don't want to be a prophet of doom, but I think that now is the time forPresident Felipe Calderon to stop being held hostage by the politicalparties. These parties are trying at all costs to maintain those in power inthe state of Oaxaca, despite the fact that our elected politicians arecorrupt murderers and criminals. President Calderon lost the election inOaxaca, but he could gain the support of Oaxacans. He has a chance to gainthe support of the people if he could only take hold of the reins of thecountry and respond to the demands of those who have been badly treated. Heshould get rid of this Governor who has committed grave offenses against thepeople and behaved indescribably, making the whole state turn against him.Members of the state government close to Ulises Ruiz have told us that 9000of the 12000 communities in the state of Oaxaca do not support Ruiz. Thesecommunities have signed community protests to insist that Ruiz be removedfrom office. The protest says that the Governor has not represented theircommunity, has stepped on their rights and that a whole sector of thepopulation is joining together to demand that he be removed.THREE IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF THIS MOVEMENTI would like provide more information about the uprising, because manypeople, even Mexicans, do not understand what is happening in Oaxaca. Andsince you people are concerned about Oaxaca, I want you to have a goodunderstanding of the situation here.It has been said that the popular movement is financed by political parties,particularly the PRD. It has also been said that the movement is not reallya popular movement, that it is driven by political ambition and otherinterests that have nothing to do with the people. But I want to tell youthat there are three very positive basic elements driving this movement:FIRST, IT IS AN INDIGENOUS MOVEMENTWith the creation of the People's Popular Assembly, we are returning to ournative Oaxacan culture. There are popular assemblies in the 418municipalities of Oaxaca, all of which incorporate a system of Oaxacanindigenous habits and customs.Every Sunday, these indigenous communities hold popular assemblies to decidewho will be the altar boy, the police agent or the municipal president(mayor), who is going to pay for the village fiesta and who is going to setit up. Everything is decided in these assemblies. So the first basic,positive element of the Oaxaca uprising is that the indigenous tradition isbeing put into practice - the popular assembly is made up of all theindigenous assemblies of Oaxaca.THE SECOND IS "GUELAGUETZA"Guelaguetza means "gift of giving". Most Oaxacan people are used to giving.For example, when there is a death in the community, people support thegrieving family and bring them corn, sugar, coffee and chocolate.THE THIRD IS "TEQUIO"When someone needs help, members of the community provide mutual support inthe form of cooperative team work (tequio). For example, if someone is goingto build a new room (bedroom kitchen etc.) in their home, everybody helpswith the construction. No one gets paid for doing the work but everybodyhelps out and contributes physical labour for free.The movement is based on these three basic important elements. The assemblydoes not have a leader who says: 'I order you to do this" or "I am going todo that". Everyone can speak up and have an opinion, agree or disagree. Themost important thing is that decisions are made communally. It is also important to point out that the movement has not been maintainedthrough support from other organizations, or from the PRD. In fact, supportis provided through religious communities belonging to the church in Oaxaca.When there is a problem, these communities are informed and they providewhat is needed - a kilo of rice or beans, sugar etc. That is why there is noshortage of supplies for those participating in the movement; over the lastsix months they have been provided with everything they need. And where does the tequio come from? Women come to help out, cook, preparerice, beans or soup, to support those who are struggling to build somethingnew. They are the soul of the movement.People outside the movement don't like to see things this way. They see themovement as a threat to those who do not participate in it because theythink "those rebels are going to start taking over here and then elsewheretoo". But there will not be a movement like this in any other state in thecountry, because other states don't have the same conditions, they don'thave the same culture or the same roots, and also because here, we arestruggling against the Priista dictatorship, and it continues to hold power.THE CONSTITUTION IS ONLY FOR THE LIBRARIESAnother thing I want to point out is that the government has tried tominimize the problem. When it had the solution in its hands it didn't takeadvantage of it. Why? Because all the political class wants to do is protectitself. That's the impression I have, that the political class wants toprotect itself, and the politicians will not pay attention to the people, nomatter how much they protest and demand justice.It is very upsetting for me to think that the Constitution is only for thelibraries or for the use of the political class when they want to apply it,but it simply doesn't exist for the people. It says in the Constitution thatpeople have the right to express themselves, but in reality, if they dospeak up, they are accused of being rebels or insurgents. Why does thegovernment talk about constitutional rights and then just go ahead represspeople, punish them, imprison them and disappear them? Another thing is that Mexico, which presently presides on the United NationsCommission on Human Rights, does not comply with international human rightstreaties. Why did Mexico go ahead and sign all these treaties? It's onething to sign a treaty but another to comply with the stipulations.In the case of Oaxaca, there is clear evidence of human rights abuse -people have been humiliated, beaten and imprisoned; their lives will neverbe the same again because of the actions of the federal and state police.And what is the federal government doing? It is supporting a state governorwho has committed grave offenses against his own people. Yet he says heshould be kept in power because he was elected by the people.And I would say to say to the Governor:" What about the people who want tohave you removed?" Where are they? Ruiz has been accused of rigging theelections to become Governor. And now, instead of trying to gain thepeople's support, he has begun to repress and punish those who did not votefor him. And this has only generated more anger, more violence, moreoutrage.As I see it, he is taking revenge on the people who didn't vote for him,that is, the urban population, the people with a little more education. Hehas decided to release his fury on them. And the rural indigenous people,who supposedly voted for him, are simply forgotten. So here in Oaxaca City,to take revenge on the urban population, he has begun to damage and alterthe symbols of Oaxacan culture.We Oaxacans are very rooted in our land and very proud of our culture. Welike to receive visitors. We like people and are friendly to them. But welike to maintain our dignity and we refuse to be victimized in this way.But the Governor has gravely offended us. He came here and attacked andattacked our cultural symbols (using gestures with his hands). Why? Hechanged the zólcolo in Oaxaca. He removed the old historical stones and putin new paving stones; he converted the Governor's Palace into a museum; theChamber of Deputies has been converted into a theatre, the Judiciary Officeis to be moved to another location, the Plaza de la Danza is being replacedby concrete slabs. The Llano Park is also being changed. They are puttingcement and bricks and concrete slabs around the trees and this will makethem dry up. They also altered the fountain (Fuente de las Siete Regiones).And they saythey changed the images of the woman that represent the different regions ofthe state. People feel that this is an insult to them and to their culturalsymbols, which represent who they are. So the people are saying they willnot tolerate any more of this treatment.THE PEOPLE'S POPULAR ASSEMBLY OF OAXACASo it was an accumulation of things that led to this situation, of thecreation of the APPO (People's Popular Assembly of Oaxaca). As I see it, theAPPO is made up of four different sectors:There are some radical people in the APPO - they want to do things likebring the government down and put in a people's government.There are also more moderate people, from the church. I have a documentsigned by at least 42 priests from the Archdiocese of Oaxaca, the Diocesesof Tehunatepec and Puerto Escondido, the Prelate's office of Huautla deJiménez, the Dioceses of Tuxtepec and Huajuapan and the Prelate's office ofLos Mixes. There are priests involved in the movement and so are thereligious communities.And then there are the NGO's that deal with human rights, equal rights,women's rights, rights for the indigenous, children's rights and familyrights. There are a large number of groups in this sector.In addition, there are a number of organizations that are financed by thestate, i.e. organizations created by people who managed to get funding fromthe government. Here in Oaxaca, if you don't apply pressure, the governmentdoes nothing for you.So, if organizations want to be heard, they have to stage demonstrations,sit-ins, meetings, hunger strikes and all those kinds of things. Then theauthorities say "Ok, we heard you, we will give you this, we will give youthis much" and then they just disappear.THE PEOPLE ARE WAKING UPFor the last six months, I have been involved in putting out information asit becomes available and I have witnessed what has been happening in themovement. I saw the attack on the teachers on June 14th and the violence ofthe state police. And then I saw how the police backed off, because theynever thought that the people and the teachers would react the way they did.When the people saw what was happening, they began to join in solidaritywith the teachers. It was amazing to see how older women and men came withpots of rice and beans to feed people and how people came out into thestreet and gave out bags of water to people saying "Here, protect yourselfwith this."There was a strong response from the people, as can be seen in the marchesthat took place later. The first, the second, the third and then the fourth,that was the biggest march ever held in the history of the state of Oaxaca.Some say that a million people marched, others say 800 000. But 800 000people in the capital, Oaxaca, marching to remove one person from power isevidence that the political system is coming apart at the seams. This was amajor rejection of a leader, the like of which has not been seen in thecountry, not even the protest against the government of Puebla (that hadbeen linked to attacks on freedom of expression and corruption in thejustice system) led to anything of the magnitude of the march in Oaxaca.800 000 people marched in a peaceful demonstration, in the rain, because itwas raining that day. They tried to mobilize at 4pm, then at 5pm. Then therain stopped but there were large puddles of water and people put on theirrain coats, took their umbrellas and went out into the street. And thepeople applauded them from rooftop terraces, balconies, schools and alongthe roads.As a Oaxacan, I felt like crying, shouting, laughing. I said to myself: "Mypeople are waking up. They are speaking out, they want justice." (He pausesa little, cries silently).What happened? After people had asked for things to be done in a peacefulway and after they had sent documents containing evidence that would forcethe Governor to step down, and after they tried every legal way to make thegovernment listen to the people who had been victimized, all that happenedwas that they had the doors slammed in their face and the government turnedagainst them.Why? Why did the political parties who represent themselves and not thepeople, why did they slap the people of Oaxaca in the face, rejecting theonly remaining peaceful solution? You can now see the consequences of thatrejection.Were there some radicals in the movement? Yes, there were some people whochallenged the Federal Preventative Police (PFP). When the PFP arrived . itwas . (He breaks down crying) . people were holding up religious imagesbegging "please don't come here, we don't want any violence." They threwthemselves onto the street so that the tanks could not move in. Others werebleeding, they called out: "Do you want blood? Here is my blood." (Longpause, he can't keep talking because he is crying).AND THEN THE FIESTA CAME TO AN ENDOn that day, October 29TH, I thought that people would be terrified, afraidof the presence of the PFP. But I was really surprised to see that peopleflooded out into the streets and shouted at the police that it was a goodthing they had come to remove the Governor.It was like a fiesta, but it suddenly came to an end when they realized thatthe PFP had come to provide support for the Governor and put down the peoplewho had dared to protest. Unfortunately, since then, the government hasnever tried to understand our movement. The people were saying: "Here weare, listen to us, can't you see? We are telling you that something bad ishappening in Oaxaca, do something about it." But the government did hear us,or see us - they just sent in the police.Since then, people have felt abandoned. Then, there was November 2nd, whichis another day I will never forget, because the people confronted the policethat day. At a certain point, they wanted to remove five men from thebarricade because they were being obstructive and acting out. The policecame to take them away. All five of them are what we call humble people,people who have no way of earning a living, people who have always beenexcluded and humiliated. These people were on the barricades because theyhave nothing to lose. And that is the case for most people in Oaxaca. 75% ofour population in Oaxaca is indigenous, or have some indigenous background,and these people are being excluded.Then, they tried to defend the area, because this was where RadioUniversidad was located and they didn't want it to be shut down (it was theonly communications media that was defending the movement) - and theymanaged to get the police to move back.So this time, the people came out on top. But it didn't make any differenceto the government because they still kept that corrupt tyrant in power andhe still has control of all three levels of power in the state.NOVEMBER 25th WAS TO BE A PAINFUL DAY FOR THE PEOPLESo there was no other alternative left for the people - there was nothingleft but repression, uprisings, imprisonments - and then there was November25th which was a tragic day for the people.There were people infiltrating the movement. The government had figured itall out. They came up with the idea that it would be useful if somebuildings set on fire and if there were confrontations with the PFP. Thiswould give them an excuse to further repress the people. No one is stupidenough to believe that a Molotov cocktail can burn down a building the sizeof the Supreme Court, a building, as it happens, that contains documents thegovernment would have liked to see disappear. who could believe that! Well,who did this then? It had to be government infiltrators. Is there any proof?Of course, there is no proof. They are not going to turn themselves in. Butit was useful for the government, because it allowed the PFP and the statepolice to have more clashes with the community.THEN THERE WERE TANKS AND THEN BULLETSWe were there the whole day on November 25th. The police attacked andattacked, and pushed us back to the Centro Pastoral, and then there weretanks and then they started shooting. And we had to run, you couldn't juststay there and say: "I'm with the press", because they were arrestingeverybody. They beat up a colleague from El Financiero and he had to betreated with 10 stitches. And then you said to yourself: "I had better move back." And we were on thisside of the Centro Pastoral and they said to us: "The federal courthouse ison fire." So we went to Llano Park and saw that, in fact, one of the roomsin the courthouse was on fire, as well as some cars in the parking lot. Itwas around 8.30 at night, and the state police came to the park and then weran away and then the federal police turned up so we ran off to theInstituto Mexicano del Seguro Social and took refuge in Niños Heroes Avenue.That was a very important day in my life as a journalist and a reporter. Isaw a lot of things that day. I wanted to be part of the people and stand upwith them so I could observe everything that was happening . it was such anexperience, it is very difficult to explain what it was like. In my 20 yearsof being a reporter, I have never seen anything like it. The people went outinto the streets, demonstrated and protested. There was no officialorganization, they just organized themselves. It was really amazing. At fivein the afternoon, a group of teenagers started looking for trouble. Theywanted to confront the PFP and then it all exploded, because people on therooftop terraces were throwing marbles at the demonstrators.So there was a big confrontation, a big clash, with tear gas, shooting - ohyes! there was shooting - and after that there were fires. Between 5pm and11pm, Oaxaca went up in flames. The cloud of gas became of cloud of blacksmoke - we are still waiting for the plume of white smoke but I don't thinkthat's going to happen. (smiles)Then they made us move back, the 15, 16, 17, year old boys with theirmake-shift shields were in the front line, confronting the police. Thenthere was a second line of protestors who were firing bazookas, and behindthem were the women, who were throwing stones. they had taken hundreds ofbricks from a construction site and broken them into pieces, they had alsotaken up paving stones from the road and were throwing them on the ground tobreak them into pieces.THEY BEAT ME MERCILESSLYThe crowd of men and women was shouting and moving forward forcefully. Andbehind, were the older people who were carrying water. (He pauses, his voicebreaks again, trying to stop the tears), they also had towels for people tocover their mouths, and vinegar, and behind them were medical students fromthe university, who were looking after people who had been exposed to thetear-gas or had wounds on their head. They gave us soft drinks and vinegarand offered help if we were hurt. Then the police came and we had toretreat. They burned the APPO encampment in Santo Domingo Plaza and made usmove on to the Seguro Social building.At the Seguro Social, two groups of police came towards us - one from theLlano Park and the other from Santo Domingo Plaza. So about 100 men, womenand elderly people had to flee down the road to el Fortin. We got to elFortin about 9.30. Then we thought that we had better leave. I was alone soI joined a group of independent journalists from France, New York and Spain.There were eight or nine of us. I decided I would stay with them forprotection, since I figured they wouldn't attack foreigners or do them anyharm. But I knew they could detain me and even disappear me.We were at the Hotel del Fortin intersection. About ten or twelve people gotinto a red van and headed for Colonia Estrella but we were stopped, so wegot out and walked about ten metres to look for a taxi. Then, PFP and statepolice vans came from either Crespo or Tinoco Palacios Street (I'm notsure). And they surrounded us. (He pauses again, his voice breaks, and hecries.) They beat me mercilessly. We didn't know what to do. We ran to(Fortin) Hill. (He continues crying, he can barely speak) and people keepshouting. (He cries while Anna proceeds with the translation).Sorry, but sometimes you just get overwhelmed. The truth is, I have never inmy life had an experience like that day. I witnessed the EPR attacks herein Oaxaca - several people were killed at that time, and I've also witnessedfarmers' protests. I've seen clashes and confrontations in my time, but thatday, November 25th made me feel powerless, afraid. You really don't knowwhat to do in a situation like that.The international journalists were terrified by what they saw. And so was I.A van pulled up and some people were knocked down onto the street. I don'tknow if the police knocked them down. Women were calling out in desperation.We couldn't take any photos. Even the photographers who were there wereafraid to take photos in case they were caught. We didn't want the policecoming after us for that.I didn't know what to do. We were powerless, we couldn't really help out ordo anything. Then, to avoid being hit or being killed, we had hide out onFortin Hill, like criminals, so they would not find us. In the distance,about as far as from here to the Centro Pastoral, you could hear peoplecrying out . it was terrible. (His voice breaks again.)People were coming out of their houses and saying: "The police are here, goover that way." So we spent a half an hour trying to hide from the police. Ithink the international reporters had never seen anything like this in theirlives. I was concerned about them because I did not see them the next day. Ithink they left on the first flight out of Oaxaca. After that, I got phonecalls from friends at Radio Red in Mexico City: "Pedro, how are things goingthere, are you alright?" "Yes, I'm Ok but I can't talk."I spoke to the newspaper Noticias and told my boss that I couldn't go out,that I was trapped, that the police were detaining everybody and beatingthem. Then they sent a motorcycle for me around 10 or 10.30 and I managed toget to the centre to the newspaper office, but there had been fires allaround there.When we had been on the hill, we had seen a lot of smoke in the air. Itlooked like the whole state was on fire, really, that's what it looked liketo me. But the hardest thing for me was that they were accusing innocentpeople (amongst them an elderly lady) of starting the fires. No, no, theyreally went too far this time, this is really unjust. (His voice breaksagain.)I don't understand this government. They were given every change to resolvethe situation and they end up imprisoning people who were only asking forjustice. And meanwhile, Vicente Fox allows the drug traffickers to go free.His anti-drug campaign never worked; they have never come down hard on drugtraffickers here. For this government, it's the people who are asking forchange that constitute the real threat.WHERE IS DEMOCRACY IN MEXICO?About a year ago, I had the opportunity to go on a trip to the UnitedStates. And people there said to me: "Oh! Mexico is a democratic country."But where is the democracy in Mexico? If Mexico City stands for democracy,then we've had it. Because there is no democracy in Oaxaca. For years, thePRI has been in power. Our government leaders have been nothing but tyrants.They have exploited, robbed and arranged rigged assassinations and they havegotten away with it. They have been allowed to go free, even rewarded, andthey get to sit in the Chamber of Deputies. They are the ones who legislateon behalf of the people. But they are the criminals and people who protestagainst them are in jail. For the last 20 years, I have been working in Oaxaca for the magazine,Proceso. I have seen three governments and not one of them has allowedcriticism. I have been threatened and intimidated by all three of them. I amlucky because the media protects me and backs me up. But what can the peopledo? They have no one to stand up for them.YOU ARE THE ONLY DEFENSE THEY HAVEThis is why I agreed to do this interview because you are the only defensethese people have. There are organizations here in Oaxaca and in the countrythat try to defend them, but they are not Mexican. Mexicans in Mexico haveno way to defend themselves. Unless there is pressure from outside thecountry, nothing happens.Take for example, the fatal shooting of Brad Will. If he had not beenkilled, they would not have sent in the PFP. They would have just kept onkilling more and more of our people and nothing would have been said aboutit. Twelve dead Oaxacans is not news. But it was another matter when theykilled Brad Will. The state prosecutor changed the whole story of whathappened and rigged the medical report. This is the height of injustice andcynicism. It is complete abuse of power. Authorities in Oaxaca are now goingto put out the story that Brad Will killed himself.And that is how things are in Oaxaca. They are going to say that those whowere imprisoned were asking for it because they rebelled against thegovernment and that there was no other way to deal with them. Anything canhappen here. Justice exists on paper but it is a different thing when itcomes to applying it.The media's part in all of this has been a disgrace, with the exception ofthe newspaper Noticias, which, because of the problems I experienced, becamean important communication media for the movement. And of course RadioUniversidad also helped the movement. But no other media helped out. Peoplehad to find alternative ways to get information. The experience of thismovement taught us a lot. The media represents the business world and itsinterests. This is understandable. The media is a business. Nonetheless,they should give a voice to those who have no voice. But the voiceless weresilenced and had to make themselves heard by using force.And what happened? Now there are orders to detain human rights leaders whodidn't even participate in the barricades. All they did was make inquiriesto ensure that workers were not hurt. But this is a crime in Oaxaca, it is acrime to protest, a crime to think.*******JOIN AN EDUCATIONAL DELEGATION TO OAXACA, contact Oaxaca Solidarity Network:info@oaxacasolidarity.org, www.oaxacasolidarity.orgOAXACA EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND: Rights Action is raising funds to support thehumanitarian relief needs of victims of torture and family members ofvictims of repression. Make tax-deductible check payable to "Rights Action"and mail to: UNITED STATES: Box 50887, Washington DC, 20091-0887; CANADA:509 St. Clair Ave W, box73527, Toronto ON, M6C-1C0. CREDIT-CARD DONATIONS:www.rightsaction.org.-- No virus found in this outgoing message.Checked by AVG Free Edition.Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.8/716 - Release Date: 3/9/20076:53 PM