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<div align="center"><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica" size=2>|<b>The War
of the Flea...Oaxaca</b> | <br><br>
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Autor(a): Michael McCaughan <i>Fecha: 1:15am Viernes 03 Noviembre
2006</i> <i>Categoría: Notícias Generales / General News<br><br>
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<dd>900 words on the day in which the federales were prevented from
entering the University and ultimately retreated ..... <br><br>
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Life during wartime.. Oaxaca City under siege. <br><br>
by Michael McCaughan<br><br>
<br>
“be careful my friend, people die all the time.’ came the warning from a
passerby outside Oaxaca university this afternoon. In his shorts and
t-shirt he strolled off in the opposite direction, looking like he was
going to the beach. <br><br>
In the meantime hundreds of people swarmed through side streets close to
the University to challenge the Federal police as they fought street by
street to disperse supporters of the popular movement, APPO. <br><br>
This was the war of the flea as protestors outnumbered police by ten to
one but were in turn outgunned by the well-armed and trigger happy
troops. Several serious injuries have been reported but so far today, no
fatalities. <br><br>
The battle was uneven to the point of suicidal. And yet the people won.
<br><br>
Radio Universidad, the voice of the People’s Popular Assembly (APPO)
sounded the warning early this morning; the federal police were arriving
in force to clear barricades outside the university and possibly gain
entrance. At stake was the radio station which has coordinated resistance
activities around the city and operated as an open Mike for anyone
wishing to give testimony of the speedily unraveling events. <br><br>
For six hours several thousand youths, an even mix between the sexes,
fought a brave battle that recalled similar confrontations all over Latin
America. Oaxaca is Cochabamba, Atenco and all the corners of the
continent where citizen movements challenge military/business hegemony.
<br><br>
The federales wore protective masks and carried guns, sticks and shields.
The equipment was purchased in 1994 after the Zapatista rebellion ignited
unrest around the country. Above the soldiers two helicopters hovered
over rebel barricades and lobbed tear gas grenades at the people below.
<br><br>
At one point a helicopter pilot recognized APPO spokesman Flavio Sosa,
dropped swiftly to within 20 metres of him and tossed pepper spray
canisters at his feet. ‘This is a sign of their desperation’ he said, ‘we
will not be beaten.’ <br><br>
The people were armed as follows; tyres, stones, sticks, metal bars,
‘lanzacohetes’ (firework launchers) shopping trolleys, pallets and debris
of all kind. More significantly perhaps, they were armed with their
truth; the illegal militarized police occupation of Oaxaca must end
before meaningful dialogue can begin. <br><br>
For now the task was to prevent the troops from clearing roads leading to
the University, the last fixed bastion of the popular uprising. <br><br>
A young law student guided me through the streets but before long we were
trapped by lines of troops who launched stinging pepper spray grenades
and, according to more experienced observers, an occasional bullet. One
youth lost an eye while a journalist with ‘El Universal’ was hospitalized
after a gas canister hit him in the chest. As we reeled from the pepper
spray, doors opened as if by magic, all along the street. <br><br>
Buckets of water appeared and women invited us to take refuge inside
their homes. ‘dogs’ said Ana Rosa Poblano, ‘they treat us worse than
dogs.’ She gave me a taco of mole sauce, handed me a rag soaked in
vinegar, took a quick look up and down the street and wished me luck.
<br><br>
As soon as the troops moved to clear another corner, dozens of youths
appeared out of nowhere and placed fresh barricades behind them. ‘Prepare
to die’ shouted one woman, who barely reached my shoulder in height but
stood far taller in terms of bravery. ‘Put down your shields and take off
your helmets and I’ll beat the living shit out of you’ she added.
<br><br>
The express barricade was erected with precision; first came the metal
girders, stripped from nearby street lamps. They were covered by pallets
and then tyres, and when the police appeared, the rebels set the
roadblock on fire, sending a noxious cloud of black smoke into the sky. A
couple of streets away, on the other side of the police, a similar
process occurred. <br><br>
The battle continued for hours, as police advanced two blocks, then
retreated one, all the time harassed by stone throwers in nearby
rooftops. <br><br>
After several hours of cat and mouse antics we found our way into the
University and took refuge outside the radio station, which broadcasts a
constant stream of commentary and warnings of fresh police maneuvers. The
area outside the station is sandbagged while a wall of red bricks offers
a second obstacle to potential intruders. One group of students lie in
the shade of a tree, catching up on sleep after a 16-hour security shift.
Helicopters are observing from overhead while students boil vats of oil
as a desperate countermeasure to thwart an anticipated invasion of this
autonomous space. <br><br>
The conservative University rector has sought assurances that the campus
will not be occupied but government anger grows as each day passes and
the popular movement gathers renewed strength. <br><br>
At a late night meeting in the Archbishop’s residence, (wednesday) state
officials invited APPO leaders to begin dialogue. The events of today
however, speak a language of a different kind. The call has gone out for
a mega march this Sunday to surround the federales in the Zocalo and
perhaps, who knows, to retake the square. <br><br>
By 3pm today the crossroads outside the University looked like Managua,
Nicaragua on July 19th 1979. Thousands of citizens streamed toward the
victory point, waving flags, singing rebel songs. <br><br>
The final tally was a dozen people injured and a fresh injection of hope
that peaceful but determined resistance can outwit and outwait the
occupying forces of the state. <br><br>
Ends.<br><br>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
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