Bicentennial of Juárez' Birthday Brings on the Parties

Observance of the bicentennial of the birth of Benito Juarez, Zapotec president of Mexico, brought on  (political) parties. While President Vicente Fox and Governor Ulises Ruiz were busy exchanging kind words and handshakes in front of an array of political suits, in the city the reception line consisted of riot troops. Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca, March 21, 2006

Oaxaca celebrated the birthday of Benito Juarez (1806 - 1872), the Zapotec president of Mexico, with statewide political dedications and mutual congratulations. The celebration in center city featured a receiving line of  hundreds of riot police. Elbow to elbow, they blocked every access to the zocalo, festively garbed in helmets, shields, truncheons, boots and gas canisters. Behind them stalked attack dogs.

At the Santo Domingo cathedral where a forum (Foro Por la Defense del Patrimonia Cultural y Artistica), sponsored by the coalition of half a dozen groups– including indigenous, campesino, and teacher unions– met to protest any privatization of water, electricity or petroleum, a crowd of about three hundred adherents to the Otra Campaña were prevented from marching down the pedestrian street (Andador Turistica) leading to the zocalo five blocks south.

Ordinary tourists were also prevented from passing by the “reception line”, several of whom wore white Tee shirts stenciled on the back with “Tourist Police” – apparently to prevent the tourists from undertaking the crime of walking freely.

According to Javier Patiño Bailón, a member of a teachers union section comprised of anthropologists and historians (D-111-2-INAH Sec XXII of SENTE),  the only guests to be allowed access to the zocalo to celebrate the Juarez bi-centennial were those invited to accompany the current president, Vicente Fox. “A pinche transa,” he affirmed: a fucking scam.

Fox visited Oaxaca to “celebrate” first in  Juarez’ birthplace of Guelatao, and then at a new museum in San Pablo Etla, and  in the city. In the city celebration, one of the events was the inauguration of another new museum constructed inside the former Palacio Gobermental by Oaxaca governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz. Ruiz, notorious for re-constructing several UNESCO “cultural patrimony” sites including the zocalo, the Plaza de Danza and Llano Park, without citizen input, decided that the best way to avoid future protests in front of the government offices was to move the offices away from the city.

However, in order to inaugurate his new museum, Ruiz had to further avoid protests by blocking the zocalo. The empty public square  provided “security” for President Fox.

A brief scuffle followed the protest in front of Santo Domingo Cathedral  when Carlos Abascal Carranza, national Labor Secretary (Secretaría del Trabajo y Previsión Social), and one of the chosen attendees at the museum’s inaugural kick-off, emerged from Santo Domingo at about 1:00 o’clock, dressed in a dark business suit and necktie.

That costume is virtually unseen in Oaxaca, where even the governor normally appears in public with an open-necked  shirt. FESODO (The Social Democratic State Front of Oaxaca) hecklers shouted “Señor Abascal I think you should be behind bars,” and  “Señor Abascal, why don’t you invite us to eat, bastard?” Carrasca was interviewed and driven away.

Although inside the city of Oaxaca itself  very minor opposition to the PRI powers-that-be is displayed, this week a small march protested on Police Impunity Day on March 19. On March 18,  the Campaign to Free the Political Prisoners and Prisoners of Conscience held a student rally at the Autonomous University Benito Juarez of Oaxaca.

The city employs between five and eight distinct police units, including the GOE (Group for Special Operations) and the UPOE (Police Unit of Special Operations). Men from two of the units stood posted outside the university meeting place. The rally was attended by less than three hundred students.

According to the press release of the local adherents to the Otra, forty political prisoners are currently held in Oaxaca. The demands presented are:

1. Immediate liberty for all political prisoners
2. Cancellation of orders to arrest those in social struggles
3. Accounting for the disappeared and exiled
4. Punishment for those responsible for the murders of social activists
5. Dissolution of the repressive forces.

On Juarez’ birthday, in a television interview alongside Ruiz, Fox paid lip service to the indigenous president who is most famous for having said, “Respect for the rights of others is peace.”

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