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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | November 2006 
Thousands March to Back Oaxaca's Governor
 Ioan Grillo - Associated Press
| | Supporters carry an image of Oaxaca state Gov. Ulises Ruiz during a march in in the streets of Oaxaca City Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2006, in Mexico. Thousands of supporters of Oaxaca's embattled governor dressed in white and marched the colonial city Tuesday, their biggest show of strength in a six month conflict that has rattled the Vicente Fox administration and left more than nine people dead. (AP/Eduardo Verdugo) |
More than 15,000 white-clad supporters of Oaxaca's embattled governor marched through this colonial city Tuesday in their biggest show of strength in a six-month conflict that has left at least nine people dead.
Tuesday's demonstration came two days after more than 20,000 leftists marched to demand the ouster of Gov. Ulises Ruiz, illustrating the sharp polarization of the state after months of street fighting and shootings that have scared tourists away and shattered the local economy.
The pro-government march came as Interior Secretary Carlos Abascal told reporters that Ruiz should leave if he can't reach an agreement with his opponents.
"Either the governor convinces these groups that some sort of unity pact with the government can be re-established ... or the governor takes a leave from his post. There's no other way," he said.
Carrying placards calling for "criminals out of Oaxaca," protesters shouted chants in support of the 4,000 federal police officers who stormed the city last month to push protesters out of the center.
"It is not ideal having federal forces and tanks here, but it is better than having criminals and terrorists in control," said marcher Ponaji Toledo, a 27-year-old restaurant owner who says her business has plummeted.
Many of the marchers said they were members of Ruiz's Institutional Revolutionary Party or PRI, which has ruled Oaxaca since 1929.
The leftists accuse Ruiz of rigging the 2004 election to win office and sending groups of gun-toting thugs against his opponents.
The protests began in Oaxaca in May, when teachers went on strike for better pay and conditions in one of Mexico's poorest states. When police violently broke up one of their demonstrations in June, protesters expanded their demand to include the ouster of Ruiz and were joined by leftists, Indian groups and students.
Among the nine people killed during the conflict was activist-journalist Bradley Roland Will, 36, of New York, who was shot Oct. 27. |
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