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 Editorials | Opinions | May 2006 
Violence in Mexico, Why Now?
 Carolina Cositore - Prensa Latina
| | File photo showing Mexican riot police detaining a villager in San Salvador Atenco, about 50 km (31 miles) east of Mexico City May 4, 2006. Six years after Mexican President Vicente Fox set in motion ambitious plans to end rampant rights abuse, he has barely dented chronic problems like police torture and impunity for once powerful leaders, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday. Picture taken May 4, 2006. (Reuters/Daniel Aguilar) |
While drug wars rage in Mexico - causing dozens of deaths in the State of Guerrero since Wednesday and 90 this year - why have the Federal and state police chosen instead to descend on Atenco in the State of Mexico? Could it have something to do with the residents´ sympathy for, and growing popularity of the Zapatista Other Campaign during the presidential elections?
Is this another Fox move to cozy up to Bush, who fears all political alternatives in Latin America and would hate a Cuban or Venezuelan or Bolivian, much less a Mexican, style sovereign state next door?
The latest violence began Wednesday, May 3, when police tried to forcibly remove 60 flower vendors, that´s correct, people selling flowers, from the Texcoco local market and the vendors forcibly resisted.
The farmers of Atenco are famous for having successfully resisted, with machetes, forced displacement to make way for another Mexico City Airport in 2002. The farming community at that time formed the People's Front in Defense of Land, which provided security for Sub Commander Marcos during this May Day march in Mexico City where Front leader, Ignacio Del Valle, spoke to the tens of thousands rallying in the main plaza.
The Mexican police invaded Del Valle´s home Thursday and per eye witness accounts, he has been very severely beaten.
According to a communiqué from John Gibler in Atenco (www.globalexchange.org ), “the police violence on Thursday was indiscriminate. Both mainstream and alternative press reporters were attacked. Several members of the caravan that accompanies the Other Campaign across the country were beaten and arrested… Local and international news articles however, have not mentioned the systematic police violence against reporters.”
Marcos, who led a ten-thousand strong march to Atenco on Friday, has put the Zapatista communities on “red alert” and has convoked a national public gathering in Atenco this weekend.
Presidential spokespeople have said the Atenco violence is an “orchestrated incident” and that is exactly what it may be, but the question is: who is the orchestra leader? |
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