Oaxaca erupts once more

[Guest1]

Oaxaca erupts once more: the battle of Cerro del Fortin (http://www.marxist.com/oaxaca-battle-cerro-del-fortin180707.htm)
By Militante Mexico - www.militante.org
Wednesday, 18 July 2007

We dedicate this article to comrade Emeterio M Cruz, an APPO fighter and sympathising member of the Marxist Tendency Militante, severely injured in the battle of Cerro del Fortín. We send our deepest felt sympathy to his family. [Emeterio Cruz was arrested by the police and beaten up. As a result he suffered a fractured skull, broken internal organs and is now in a state of coma]

Once again, the counter-revolution has created chaos in Oaxaca. Yesterday, July 16, marked the beginning of a new offensive against the rotten regime of the PRI governor of Oaxaca, Ulises Ruiz. For some days the criminal governor had asked [illegitimate president] Felipe Calderon for hundreds of Federal Police PFP officers to face the renewed offensive of the mass movement.

The result: hundreds of wounded, both police officers and activists of the Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca (APPO), and dozens of people arrested. This is the balance sheet after four hours of police violence against the masses. The clashes started after the attempt of more than 20,000 demonstrators called by the APPO to take over the Cerro del Fortin open-air auditorium, where they wanted to hold the "Peoples' Guelaguetza". The Guelaguetza is a traditional festival, the official organisation of which - on the part of the governor - is scheduled to take place between July 23 to 30. These renewed clashes show that the revolutionary energy of the Oaxacan masses is still burning and is showing the way forward.

A few minutes ago, as we were finishing writing this article, APPO spokesperson Florentino Lopez announced that the teachers will mobilise en masse from July 21 to 30 to boycott the official Guelaguetza, a Festival which showcases the customs and traditions of the 16 ethnic groups present in Oaxaca in the open air hall of Cerro del Fortin in the north of the city. One year ago, the Guelaguetza had to be cancelled because of the boycott of the APPO as part of the struggle that started at that time to demand the resignation of Oaxacan governor Ulises Ruiz.

That was the beginning of the Oaxaca Commune. Its violent suppression in November 2006 was announced by the ruling class as an "outright victory", but in fact did not destroy, nor did it defeat the movement. Although the movement apparently ended in a partial defeat, from the point of view of the Oaxaca masses they feel that they scored a moral victory, since they proved that "si se puede", it is possible to challenge the might of the capitalist State. That moral victory was shown again on May 2 during the national day of struggle against the attacks on the ISSSTE pension system, in which the APPO was strong enough to completely paralyse the city of Oaxaca. Faced with this, the ruling class unleashed a new wave of repression.

On October 29, 2006, Militante wrote: "It took the Federal Police an all-out six hour-long battle to take over the main square of Oaxaca. Thousands defended the APPO barricades. The pictures show a war scenario. Meanwhile in Mexico City there were demonstrations against repression and in solidarity with the APPO. Big business, the Catholic Church, the bourgeois media, all with one voice, fully backed and supported - with joy even - the intervention of the PFP ordered by [the then Mexican president] Vicente Fox. But, what will happen in the next few days? Will it all go back to normal? Will the militant APPO fighters go back to their homes defeated? We doubt it. Marx explained that sometimes revolution is spurred by the whip of counter-revolution and this is precisely what will happen now, this can only be a temporary defeat".

And further on:


"The intervention of the PFP only shows the weakness of the regime. It shows precisely the cul-de-sac Mexican capitalism finds itself in. Whatever they did, whatever they do it will be wrong from the point of view of their class interests. They think that because they have taken over the Oaxaca Zocalo they have solved the situation. How wrong they are! If the PFP withdraws from Oaxaca, the APPO will take up its positions again. Are they able to keep the PFP in Oaxaca indefinitely? Dear capitalists, by repressing the APPO you have made a crass error; be ready to regret the consequences."
In reality the offensive of Ulises and Calderon corresponds to a position of weakness of the regime. When an animal is wounded, cornered, it responds aggressively; far from showing a position of strength, this new attack reveals the weakness of the right wing. The only reason why the regime is able to use repression at all is the collaborationist policy of the PRD leadership. This is the time to struggle not to conciliate! Physical repression is the resource left to the bourgeois State when the mechanisms of ideological coercion have proven insufficient, it is an indication of the sharpening of the class struggle, not of the strength of the regime.

The inspiring movement of the APPO in Oaxaca is a small indication of the enormous reservoir of revolutionary energy of the Mexican masses. One year after those momentous events [of the struggle against electoral fraud and the Oaxaca uprising] it is necessary to draw the right conclusions. It is necessary to coordinate and spread the struggle of the Oaxacan people to the rest of the country. After this new wave of repression, it is imperative to take the movement to the Federal District as soon as possible; we must defend the movement of Oaxaca by bringing it to the centre of national attention; we must break the isolation! The movement must acquire a national character, because isolation will strengthen repression.

The leadership of the APPO needs tactical clarity, but above all the APPO need to abandon once and for all any attempt to conciliate with the ruling class. Experience shows that all attempts to negotiate by the APPO have led straight to State repression! This has been proven over and over again during the heroic movement of the APPO. Now, after these latest attacks, the main aim should be, beyond the resignation of the reactionary PRI governor Ulises Ruiz, beyond the calling of a local Constituent Assembly, beyond the boycott of the official Guelaguetza, to take the movement to the whole of the country, spread it to other states, starting with the main cities, to take the movement to the Federal District immediately and from there to the main areas of the country.

Conditions are favourable to the movement for several reasons:

1. The Calderon regime is at a low ebb, both from the point of view of the economy, and from the point of view of public opinion. The main economic indicators (oil, unemployment, growth, etc), are putting the Calderon government in a situation of increasing crisis and this will be reflected openly in the struggle over budget allocation in September.

2. The complete failure of Calderon in his media adventure in the field of the so-called struggle against narco-trafficking has forced the regime to attempt to distract attention by setting up or promoting the "terrorist" attacks on oil pipelines, looking for smokescreens which will also allow them to justify increased repression faced with growing class struggle.

3. The lid on this huge stinking sewer has been lifted and in any "democratic" European country would have caused the fall of the government. We are talking about the scandal of Zhenli Ye Gon, a member of the mafia who financed the PAN presidential campaign which, through fraud, brought Calderon to [the presidential palace of] Los Pinos. This scandal on its own should be used to mobilise the masses of the National Democratic Coordination [set up during the struggle against electoral fraud] onto the streets with the clear aim of overthrowing Calderon.

4. Also on the horizon we can see the inevitable confrontation over the counter-reform of the ISSSTE pension system; this will bring the masses onto the streets again. The same will happen when Calderon attempts to privatise oil and electricity.

5. The government is planning further attacks on the living standards of the working people through a reform of the tax system.

6. A serious and bold call on the part of the APPO to the social movement as a whole, including the rank and file militants of the PRD and the unions, particularly the miners' and metalworkers' unions, the National Strike Council and the National Democratic Convention, would not only shield the APPO but start a serious struggle for the release of all political prisoners, not only those of the APPO, but also those of Atenco and others.

7. The APPO could send a strong contingent to the Federal Disctrict Zocalo and prepare delegations to the workers' movement to agitate for the need for a 24-hour general strike for the fall not only of Ulises Ruiz, but also Calderon, for the defence of social security, for the democratisation of the unions, for the defence of the purchasing power of wages, for the socialist transformation of society.

8. An APPO actively agitating for mass mobilisation in meetings all over the country would be even more useful than carrying out a heroic but isolated resistance in Oaxaca. The APPO movement should not be an end in itself, but should serve to coordinate and spread the struggle throughout the country. The heroic fighters of the APPO can take such proposals to the trade union branches, rank and file PRD committees, peasant communities, neighbourhood organisations, students groups, etc.

We want to stress the idea that the leadership of the PRD and the unions must call for:

1. A 24 hour general strike

2. The setting up of strike committees in all schools and workplaces

3. These Committees must organise democratic mass assemblies to decide on a coordinated nationwide plan of actions involving millions to reject repression and calling for the fall of the Calderon regime.

4. To raise finances for the movement (through collections, sale of materials on the struggle of the APPO, etc). Workers know that we finance ourselves with our own resources, since "those who pay the piper, call the tune".

5. To make an internationalist appeal to struggle against so-called "neoliberalism" (i.e. imperialism), aimed particularly at the revolutionary struggle in Latin America, Venezuela, etc.

6. To set up commissions in charge of media, propaganda and coordination

7. To organise road blockades and coordinated actions in the main roads and government buildings all over the country.

8. To set up stewarding and self-defence committees to protect the demonstrations from repression and infiltration.

Comrade of the APPO, workers of Mexico, from the cities and the countryside! The strength of our class lies in numbers and in the fact that without our permission nothing works in society. We have the strength of millions and the ability to run society! Let us use that power to defend our courageous brothers and sisters of the APPO! Let us not allow this movement to be drowned in blood! An audacious policy on the part of the APPO can turn the situation around, breaking the isolation of the movement. This is the key tactical issue of the day.

Isolated actions will not overthrow the government nor release political prisoners. Mass struggle will!

Stop repression in Oaxaca!

For the immediate resignation of Ulises Ruiz!

Break the isolation, spread and coordinate the struggle nationwide!

Let's strike all together on the same day at the same time!

Bring the movement to the Federal District!

Prepare a 24-hour general strike for the overthrow of Calderon!

[Guest1]

Oaxaca One Year Since the Insurrection (http://www.marxist.com/oaxaca-one-year-insurrection180707.htm)
By Liliana M. (Militante in Oaxaca)
Wednesday, 18 July 2007

Necessity often expresses itself through accident. Under certain conditions, when the contradictions that have been accumulating in the consciousness of the exploited become intolerable, the situation can be transformed at lightning speed: the enraged people enter the stage of history. The Oaxaca teachers' struggle for better salaries, conditions and resources unleashed a movement with enormous repercussions for the lives of all Oaxacans.

On June 14, 2006, the Oaxacan state government attempted to violently dislodge a protest encampment organized by section 22 of the CNTE teachers' union. This attack collided head-on with the strength and unity of the people; from across the city we mobilized to defend those who educate our children and youth, those who struggle to improve education, and for better conditions of life in our communities.

As events heated up, we participated in the creation of an organization that rapidly went on to control practically the entire central region of the state: the Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca (APPO). Far from being a mere coalition of organizations in struggle, the APPO was the organized expression of the will of the workers, the embryo of a new state that paralysed the local representatives of the ruling class, the state government, and kept the federal government in check. It was the mass participation of the workers themselves that made the APPO what it was.

This was a situation of dual power, which by definition cannot last indefinitely; one of the two contending classes had to submit to the other. Either the workers would succeed in smashing the capitalist state, or they would smash us. The Federal Preventative Police was sent to crush the movement, but the masses' response was exemplary. We fought body to body against this invasion, and in the end, they only succeeded in pushing us out, not crushing us.

The government showed its true face, which interests it defends, and the extreme methods it is willing to use in defence of the capitalist class: torture, arbitrary detentions, and violations of "freedom of expression" and juridical legality. They want to deceive people into thinking the conflict has disappeared, not only in Oaxaca, but in Atenco, Pata de Conchos, etc.

Throughout this process, the students, recognizing the political leadership of the APPO, energetically supported its decisions and actively participated in the movement, maintaining "Radio Universidad" alive throughout the struggle. Today they are demonstrating their enthusiasm to continue fighting in an organized manner. They recently re-took the radio station of the UABJO (Autonomous University of Oaxaca, Benito Juarez) in order to transmit messages in support of the May Day march and the general strike of May 2nd.

Although the mobilizations are not as strong as they were a year ago, there is a dynamic of organization and an eagerness to learn from the experience and errors of the past.

The failure of the movement to go further was not due to a lack of willingness on behalf of the people, many of whom even gave their lives in the struggle. The movement did not go further because the leadership of the APPO vacillated between reformism and ultra-leftism, allowing many opportunities to extend the movement to the masses of the entire country slip away. For example, the failure to link our struggle to the national movement against the electoral fraud, which was made up of millions of workers. This could have been done by proposing and energetically building a united front against the government of Oaxaca Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz (URO) and against the imposition of Felipe Calderon as president, convening a general strike to bring them both down.

In the conditions that existed at that time in Oaxaca and throughout the country, a national general strike could have been transformed into an insurrectional general strike that would have turned the situation around 180 degrees, in favor of the workers of the entire country. Unfortunately, the leadership of the APPO opposed this, lost the opportunity, distanced the struggle in Oaxaca from the struggle taking place nationally, and was in the end isolated. This facilitated the reaction against the movement that was eventually unleashed by URO and Calderon. In order not to fall into the same mistakes as the past, we must urgently create a revolutionary political leadership for the movement.

Now, with a period of local elections opening up, the Oaxacan masses will again enter the struggle. Despite what the ultra-lefts in the APPO say, who are encouraging a boycott of the elections, the masses will use them to express their discontent with the current regime, in an attempt to achieve through the electoral process what they were unable to achieve in struggle on the streets. We must launch a broad campaign of agitation and organization around the question of the elections, presenting our revolutionary program and linking the struggle at the ballot box with the need for continued mobilization on the streets.

The economic crisis of the country will continue to drive down our conditions of life, and the misery of the Oaxacan masses will only increase. A new uprising in Oaxaca is being prepared, only this time, it will be joined by the workers, peasants, and youth of the entire country.

The task of all of us who participate in the APPO is to orient ourselves based on the experience of the past toward a national mobilization as the only solution to our problems, to struggle so that all the workers in the country are organized in Popular Assemblies, linked up and coordinated nationally, and fighting for a revolutionary program that includes the expropriation of the means of production, cheap credits for the peasants, nationalization of the latifundios, free, quality education for all, etc.

We have demonstrated that power can be taken and truly exercised by working people, and that there is no reason for capitalism's continued existence. In the coming period, Calderon's weak and crisis-ridden government will be unable to solve the problems that have only worsened since we first came out on the streets of Oaxaca and across the country. Our struggle must continue, leading us to the socialist transformation of Mexico, which will have tremendous repercussions across the Americas.

[redcannon]

God, I hope this ends up better than last time, although, in all honesty, I don't think it will. Mexico's current government is a mean son of a ***** that will use as much force as necessary, perhaps even more. My heart is out to all of those people.

[Guest1]

Cornered tigers lash out fiercely. The more fierce the response, the more clearly the government is on the brink.

The Calderon government does not have the stability to survive for long, and a "jack-boot" response would only hasten its demise and create even bigger explosions of the class struggle.

[Bilan]

Solidarity to all those struggling in Oaxaca!

May the up rising to come, spread like wildfire across Mexico!

Keep us posted on how the struggle goes :)

Tierra y Libertad