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 Editorials | Issues | December 2007 
EPR Guerrilla Unnoticed by Many Mexicans
 Angus Reid Global Monitor
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Many Mexicans are not aware of the existence of an illegal armed group, according to a poll by Ipsos-Bimsa published in El Universal. Only 36 per cent of respondents are familiar with the Popular Revolutionary Army (EPR), while 63 per cent know about the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN).
When asked which conditions justify the formation of a guerrilla movement, 43 per cent of respondents mention dealing with the population’s poverty. Support is lower for groups that seek to either combat the authoritarianism of an administration, or create a revolution to topple the government.
The EPR was assembled in 1996, and operates mainly in the state of Guerrero. Throughout 2007, the armed group has claimed responsibility for several attacks against state-owned oil facilities and pipelines, as well as a bombing in a department store located in the state of Oaxaca.
On Dec. 8, Mexico’s interior secretary Francisco Ramírez Acuña dismissed the EPR’s claims of a targeted government campaign against activists, saying, "There is no persecution of social leaders. (...) We must act responsibly so the people can know the truth and be able to assess what the social movements are doing, and what the government has to do."
In January 1994, the EZLN declared its intention to overthrow the Mexican government, headed at the time by Carlos Salinas de Gortari. The group took control of several municipalities in Chiapas during a two-week uprising. There have been no new clashes between the Zapatistas and the Mexican armed forces in more than 13 years.
During the presidential term of Vicente Fox, the Zapatistas marched to Mexico City and presented their case to the Mexican Congress. The legislative branch eventually endorsed an indigenous rights bill, but the final document did not satisfy the Zapatistas. The EZLN has since established 32 "autonomous settlements" in Chiapas without the support of the Mexican government.
Polling Data
Are you familiar with the following guerrilla groups? ("Yes" responses only)
Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) - 63%
Popular Revolutionary Army (EPR) - 36%
Under which of these conditions is a guerrilla movement justified? ("Yes" responses only)
To deal with the population’s poverty - 43%
To combat the authoritarianism of an administration - 33%
To create a revolution and topple the government - 20%
Source: Ipsos-Bimsa / El Universal
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,000 Mexican adults, conducted in December 2007. Margin of error is 3.5 per cent. |
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