Thursday, February 17, 2011

Teachers return to protest in the Mexican state of Oaxaca

More than 70,000 people have supported a demonstration Wednesday by the National Union of Education Workers in the Mexican state of Oaxaca (south) to protest police repression in a union protest on 15 February in the visit of the president, Felipe Calderón, the state capital. At the protest, organized by the National Union of Education Workers (SNTE), 18 people were injured.

The Attorney General of the state has opened several preliminary cases to clarify whether the police acted improperly. The rally, called the Zocalo Square (heart of the city), sought to expose what teachers considered a covert privatization of education were repressed in the moment they tried to reach a ceremony in which participated Calderón.

The fighting left of varying injured by tear gas and rubber bullets employed by the federal security agents and state, local media reported. Among the injured include the teachers' union spokesman, Coache. Several police officers also say they were injured. Yesterday's demonstration in protest to the violent repression was composed mostly of teachers who blocked the main roads of the state and suspended classes in 15,000 schools.

His goal was to get the resignation of the director of the State Institute of Education, Bernardo Vazquez, Public Security Secretary, Marco Tulio Lopez and the owner of Domestic Policy, Irma Pineiro. Besides demanding an explanation from the State governor, Gabino Cue, to authorize the intervention of the police at the rally on Tuesday.

The teachers union in this State in 2006 staged a strike that paralyzed the city for several months. At that time was another governor, Ulises Ruiz of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which was replaced in 2010 by Gabino Cue, the current governor, part of the Convergence Party and reached the governorship with the United for Peace and Progress, an alliance between his party, the National Action Party (PAN, right), the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD, left) and the Workers' Party (PT, also on the left), created specifically to take power the PRI.

The strike of 2006 began to demand payment of a bonus by the rising cost of living in the area where they work, but soon turned into a widespread protest against the governor, which he joined much of the population the city (600,000 inhabitants) in the People's Association organized the People of Oaxaca (APPO), an organization that is active since.

No comments:

Post a Comment