Oaxaca, Mexico: Striking teachers and APPO make plans

The striking teachers union in Oaxaca, the SNTE, in conjunction with the APPO, the umbrella organization of revolutionary groups, held an "assembly" and have announced some of their plans. Their spokesman was unable to tell reporters how many representatives attended the assembly. The groups' "Acta de Acuerdos" or Memorandum of Agreement, stated:

• They would continue their mobilization until Governor Ruiz Ortiz was driven from office, calling his exit a "fundamental condition to the negotiations of the teachers' and social organizations' demands."
• That the governor's departure is an "urgent demand" and they will begin burning city buses if he doesn't go.
• That the teachers' union would continue coordinating efforts with the APPO
• That the union is supporting the APPO occupation of the state owned radio and TV stations as well as the hijacking of city buses to blockade the studios.
• Ordered union members to take over the studios of TV Azteca as well as any other stations that are critical of their criminal political movement.
• Ordered union members to demand a reduction of busfares from 3.5 to 2 pesos (32 cents to 18)
• Ordered union members to start car-jacking government owned vehicles
• Threatened any teachers "who, due to their apathy, have not joined in these actions, in the end, their 'relocation' will be sought."

After the public release of this memorandum which, as you can read, threatened to burn city buses, ordered hijackings and carjackings, threatened non-participating teachers with "relocation" (isn't that what the SS told the Jews? "You're being 'relocated.'") and ordered the occupation and shutdown of any media outlets not in agreement with them, the government's Secretary of the Interior, Heliodoro Díaz Escárraga, made this hilarious statement:

"The SNTE, the organizations that make up the APPO and other groups must differentiate themselves from those persons who have tried to implant actions of a vandalous nature, because the state government rejects these actions as being the formulas and mecanisms (for protests)."

Well, he had to say something, I guess.


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TAGS: Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca teachers' strike, SNTE, APPO, Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz