Teachers on the Move in Oaxaca

First, an excellent comment from the earlier post on Oaxaca.

Anonymous said...

I just wanted to chime in, as an independent journalist who has spent a lot of time covering the teachers' movement (and other social movements) in Oaxaca...

theres a problem with the statement:
"For those who did not take seriously the "call to witness" repression in Oaxaca by emailing or writing travel agents and Mexico officials, perhaps it is time to ask again, is Oaxaca safe and/or suitable for tourism? Is this where you want to spend your summer vacation?"

The state (and the commercial interests in oaxaca) always justify attacks on social movments with the argument that they are "cleaning up" Oaxaca for tourism, and that tourists won't spend their money here as long as people are sleeping and/or protesting in the streets.

So any message to the state of Oaxaca, about whether or not it's a safe place for tourists, should be clearly framed in such a way that it doesn't reinforce that argument;doesn't bolster the idea that the state should smack down on protestors so the streets are pretty and peaceful for tourists.

I think it would be better to send messages saying: I'm a tourist. I love Oaxaca. But I am aware of the repression that the state carries out against the people of Oaxaca, and as long as that repression continues, I will have to re-consider whether I want to spend my tourist dollars there.

Then follow the link (in Spanish . . . I've not been able to find coverage of this in English--let me know if you see any). According to ths article on Oaxaca's "Noticias" website, another huge march is planned for today, and the protesting teachers have 'taken' a Pemex facility and a highway tollbooth

Oaxaca, Oax., 6 de junio.- En su dècimo sexto día de movilizaciones en demanda de mejores condiciones laborales, trabajadores de la educación de Oaxaca se posesionaron de inatalaciones de alamcenamiento de combustibles de Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), en el municipio de Santa María El Tule y las casetas de cobro de la Supercarrtera Oaxaca-Coacnopalan, a la altura del poblado de San Pablo Huitzo.

Here's another article on the issue, in La Jornada.