During the afternoon of 2 October, hundreds of Oaxacan youth protested in Oaxaca de Juárez in observation of the forty-second anniversary of the Tlatelolco massacre, which left dead some 300 individuals, both students and non-students. The protests held in Oaxaca sought to denounce the impunity in which the case of Tlatelolco still find itself, in addition to the impunity enjoyed by the present governor of the state, Ulises Ruiz Ortiz, for his role in the repression of the popular political-opposition movement of 2006. Confrontations between protestors and police resulted in the detention of between 75, according to the declarations of the police itself, and 118 individuals, the latter being the number provided by the social organization Oaxacan Voices Constructing Autonomy and Liberty (VOCAL). Whether the actual number is 75 or 118, the total arrested represents the highest number of people arrested in a single day by the Oaxacan government since 25 November 2006.
The youth protest was called for 4pm, and was to begin at the state university UABJO; the police operation against it commenced shortly after the initiation of the march. The state police claims that it intervened following the attempted destruction of a Volkswagen store, a McDonald’s, an an Acuario by a group of hundred youth. According to the police, young “anarchopunks” attacked the glass separating the Volkswagen cars from the street with sticks and stones before moving on to confront those patronizing McDonald’s and ransacking the Acuario store. In contrast to this version of events is that of the Coordination of Libertarian Youth, which states that repression on the part of the police began during a period of the march that was “mostly peaceful.” The Coordination denounced that the arrested were beaten and sexually assaulted by police, and that youth that hadn’t even been participating in the protests were also arrested.
The arrested were taken to the police-station located in the municipality of San Bartolo Coyotepec; the majority were released the same day, save for 7 youth who were transferred to the UMAN-PGR jail, accused of drug-possession. These seven were released the following day, although one youth, named Ramón, continued imprisoned as of 4 October. The Coordination of Libertarian Youth has organized a “march against police brutality” for Saturday 23 October.
For more information (in Spanish):
VOCAL denounces 2 October repression (4 October 2010)
Police confirms 75 arrested for vandalism (Realidad Oaxaca, 3 October 2010)
Coordination of Libertarian Youth Blog
For more information from SIPAZ (in English):
Oaxaca: violent eviction of vendors associated with the APPO in Oaxaca de Juárez (22 July 2010)
sipazen.wordpress.com 