BobHarris.com - Oaxaca

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Monday, 30 October 2006

Don't miss Peter Kuper's letter and sketches from Oaxaca over at TMW.

Incidentally, today's L.A. Times article on the violence was chilling in a couple of ways, both for the sheer volume of force being used against largely non-violent protesters --

Thousands of federal riot police using tear gas and water cannons battled demonstrators in this once-picturesque state capital...

(snip)

Most of the resistance appeared to be peaceful. Many protesters stood face to face with the rows of incoming officers, chanting slogans. Others cut themselves with knives and syringes, smearing their blood on placards and the Mexican flag.

-- and for the way the article sort of assumes that now that the protesters have been moved, well, the problem is basically over:

After hours of smoky clashes in the streets, the end of a political crisis that had left at least nine dead and tested President Vicente Fox came quietly.

Well. That solves that, then.

I guess all the unrest caused by injustice in the world can just be shoved to the ground, and that's that. Because, well, history just never shows the opposite to be the case.

UPDATE: check out this anonymous photo gallery from Oaxaca, suggested by another fellow I'll keep anonymous, a guy I've corresponded with before and thought of visiting someday. He's currently staying inside and watching the helicopters and smoke through his windows.

Because, y'know, it's all settled now.

There's a song I've read about, sort of the Oaxaca equivalent of a national anthem. And near as I can tell, it's all about getting screwed and dying, basically, but still believing that justice never dies.

... Sé que una nueva luz
habrá de alcanzar
nuestra soledad
y que todo aquel que llega a morir
empieza a vivir una eternidad.

Muere el sol en los montes
con la luz que agoniza
pues la vida en su prisa
nos conduce a morir.

So yeah. Obviously. These people are gonna just knuckle under. Sure.