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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | November 2006 
Leftist Protesters Set Fires in Oaxaca
 Rebeca Romero - Associated Press
| | Protesters watch as a car burns during a clash with federal police forces in Oaxaca City, Mexico Saturday, Nov. 25, 2006. Mexico's Federal Preventive Police used tear gas on Saturday to disperse members of the Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca (APPO) as they continued their protests demanding the resignation of Governor Ulises Ruiz. (AP/Pablo Spencer) |
Bands of youths rampaged through downtown Oaxaca early Sunday, torching buildings and cars hours after federal police used tear gas to drive off a violent mob of leftists in the latest spasm of protests against the state governor.
At least one of the picturesque city's imposing colonial buildings was gutted by flames, and several other buildings were heavily damaged. The gangs also burned 20 private vehicles and attacked three hotels, throwing gasoline bombs at one and smashing windows at two.
Fires damaged four buildings housing government offices, one university building and the state hotel association, which had seen tourism reduced to a trickle by six months of riots and demonstrations demanding that Gov. Ulises Ruiz resign for alleged corruption.
Some of the youthful protesters looted several shops, and dozens of people — including three journalists — suffered minor injuries during the running clashes in the streets.
The arson attacks erupted after some 4,000 masked leftists hurled rocks, fireworks and gasoline bombs at federal police late Saturday in a failed attempt to encircle security forces holding Oaxaca's main square.
Federal police, who intervened last month to drive off protesters who had held the central square for months, responded with tear gas and jets of water from tanker trucks. Officers advancing in formation then ousted demonstrators from a protest camp at a plaza two blocks away.
Marcelino Coache, a spokesman for the leftist People's Assembly of Oaxaca, said late Saturday that at least 40 demonstrators had been injured in the confrontations, some by tear gas canisters.
The governor said about 100 protesters were detained but denied any demonstrator was injured.
Downtown residents watched in horror as buildings burned and streets filled with choking clouds of tear gas and smoke. "We are terrified of the APPO people," Josefina Quiros said, referring to the People's Assembly by its Spanish initials.
Ruiz blamed the disturbance on radical student and neighborhood groups from Mexico City. "These are the death throes of a movement that has already disintegrated," he said at a news conference.
The unrest began as a strike by teachers, but other groups joined in and the movement blew up into a broad protest against social and economic injustices in this poor state. Protesters focused their anger on Ruiz, accusing him of brutality, corruption and electoral fraud.
Most teachers have returned to work and did not participate in Saturday night's demonstration.
Nine people have been killed over the months, including freelance video journalist Bradley Roland Will, 36, of New York, who was filming a group of leftist protesters clashing with a group of armed men. Guns were fired by both sides, although it was not clear who shot first. |
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