Asamblea popular de los pueblos de Oaxaca
Encyclopedia
The Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca (in Spanish
: Asamblea Popular de los Pueblos de Oaxaca), or simply the APPO, is an organization that was assembled in response to the political situation in the Mexican
state
of Oaxaca
, first meeting in June 2006.
A public demonstration and a teacher's strike in May of every year had occurred every year for 20 years in Oaxaca City
. The strike would involve occupying a portion of the main square in the city, exhortations made via bullhorn, civil protest marches and an eventual settlement of some of the demands of the teachers. Before 2006, none of these protests resulted in large scale violence.
At 3:30 in the morning of June 14, 2006, the striking teachers of Section 22 of the Mexican National Educational Workers Union
(SNTE) who had occupied the Zócalo (main square) of Oaxaca de Juárez
(the capital city of the state of Oaxaca) were evicted by 3500 Oaxacan municipal police, some local firefighters and troops from the Policía Federal Preventiva (Federal Preventative Police) supported by helicopters in an attempt by the state government to dislodge the strikers. The teachers had been on strike for 23 days with demands for higher wages, salary rezonification in the state, and increased educational resources. At many points in the altercation tear gas and shots were fired by the police. After hours of conflict, the teachers were able to take the center of the city as their own and begin to construct a system of barricades that would make it impossible for the police to return via the roads. Reports vary as to the number of casualties the teachers sustained in the struggle. Amnesty International
has since confirmed that there were over one hundred people hospitalized.
This police action resulted in the 2006 Oaxaca protests
, calling for the resignation of Oaxacan governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz
. In the following weeks, the teachers were reinforced by sympathisers, who helped them with the construction and protection of barricades made of wood, concrete bricks, corrugated metal sheets, and disabled cars and buses. For a number of months, these roughly constructed barricades had been effective in preventing the entry of police into the central part of the city that surrounds the Zócalo
.
There are a number of reasons that Governor Ruiz had begun to garner opposition from several groups even before the raid upon the encampment in the Zócalo. First, Ulises Ruiz's Institutional Revolutionary Party
(PRI) has been in power in Oaxaca for decades and has often been accused of political corruption
. This played out in the allegations of electoral fraud
that accompanied Ruiz's election as governor in 2004. Also, Ruiz has been blamed for repression
and violence against political opponents, media outlets, and indigenous peoples in Oaxaca. Finally, many people were angered over public works projects in the city that they said were corruptly managed and resulted in the destruction of main squares and public spaces in the historic center of the city.
Included in the resolutions of the APPO are a recognition of indigenous rights and autonomy, gender equality
, political accountability, opposition to neoliberalism
and Plan Puebla Panamá
, a demand for an alternative education, and collectively run media, amongst others.
The Popular Assembly of Oaxaca uses inspiration indigenous political practices called 'usos y costumbres
' (traditional usages and customs) that have been incorporated into the municipal level government of Oaxaca. These practices stand apart from standard electoral politics in that the assembly structure does not include secret voting procedures, but rather open meetings to make decisions. According to the APPO:
The APPO refused to negotiate with the state government and met with officials of the federal government periodically throughout the conflict, but has yet to be able to negotiate a resolution to the conflict.
Some people have lost their jobs due to the conflict, because of the decline of the tourism industry. Many restaurants, hotels and people who depend on tourism have seen a sharp decline in tourist business. In July 2006, APPO members refused to allow the state-organized “Guelaguetza
” festival to occur. They shut down construction and burned parts of the stage in which the festival was going to take place. Instead, the APPO held an alternative free Guelaguetza festival to replace the boycotted government organized celebration.
Different corporate radio and television stations had been taken by members of the APPO and they had refused to return the stations to their official owners. The radio stations operated by APPO members were sites of frequent violent attacks by PRI supporters, state, local and federal police (PFP). Currently, movement members are only broadcasting from the University radio station.
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Asamblea Popular de los Pueblos de Oaxaca), or simply the APPO, is an organization that was assembled in response to the political situation in the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
state
States of Mexico
The United Mexican States is a federal republic formed by 32 federal entities .According to the Constitution of 1917, the states of the federation are free and sovereign. Each state has their own congress and constitution, while the Federal District has only limited autonomy with a local Congress...
of Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
, first meeting in June 2006.
History
Oaxaca, Oaxaca
The city and municipality of Oaxaca de Juárez, or simply Oaxaca, is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of the same name . It is located in the Centro District in the Central Valleys region of the state, in the foothills of the Sierra Madre at the base of the Cerro del Fortín...
. The strike would involve occupying a portion of the main square in the city, exhortations made via bullhorn, civil protest marches and an eventual settlement of some of the demands of the teachers. Before 2006, none of these protests resulted in large scale violence.
At 3:30 in the morning of June 14, 2006, the striking teachers of Section 22 of the Mexican National Educational Workers Union
Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación
The Mexican National Educational Workers Union is the largest trade union in Latin America, with over 1.4 million members. Formed in 1949, the SNTE is composed of local sections in each of Mexico's states...
(SNTE) who had occupied the Zócalo (main square) of Oaxaca de Juárez
Oaxaca, Oaxaca
The city and municipality of Oaxaca de Juárez, or simply Oaxaca, is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of the same name . It is located in the Centro District in the Central Valleys region of the state, in the foothills of the Sierra Madre at the base of the Cerro del Fortín...
(the capital city of the state of Oaxaca) were evicted by 3500 Oaxacan municipal police, some local firefighters and troops from the Policía Federal Preventiva (Federal Preventative Police) supported by helicopters in an attempt by the state government to dislodge the strikers. The teachers had been on strike for 23 days with demands for higher wages, salary rezonification in the state, and increased educational resources. At many points in the altercation tear gas and shots were fired by the police. After hours of conflict, the teachers were able to take the center of the city as their own and begin to construct a system of barricades that would make it impossible for the police to return via the roads. Reports vary as to the number of casualties the teachers sustained in the struggle. Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
has since confirmed that there were over one hundred people hospitalized.
This police action resulted in the 2006 Oaxaca protests
2006 Oaxaca protests
The Mexican state of Oaxaca was embroiled in a conflict that lasted more than seven months and resulted in at least seventeen deaths and the occupation of the capital city of Oaxaca by the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca . The conflict emerged in May 2006 with the police responding to a...
, calling for the resignation of Oaxacan governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz
Ulises Ruiz Ortiz
Ulises Ruiz Ortiz is a Mexican politician and former governor of the State of Oaxaca. He took office in 2004 as a member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party .- Election Controversy :...
. In the following weeks, the teachers were reinforced by sympathisers, who helped them with the construction and protection of barricades made of wood, concrete bricks, corrugated metal sheets, and disabled cars and buses. For a number of months, these roughly constructed barricades had been effective in preventing the entry of police into the central part of the city that surrounds the Zócalo
Zócalo
The Zócalo is the main plaza or square in the heart of the historic center of Mexico City. The plaza used to be known simply as the "Main Square" or "Arms Square," and today its formal name is Plaza de la Constitución...
.
There are a number of reasons that Governor Ruiz had begun to garner opposition from several groups even before the raid upon the encampment in the Zócalo. First, Ulises Ruiz's Institutional Revolutionary Party
Institutional Revolutionary Party
The Institutional Revolutionary Party is a Mexican political party that held power in the country—under a succession of names—for more than 70 years. The PRI is a member of the Socialist International, as is the rival Party of the Democratic Revolution , making Mexico one of the few...
(PRI) has been in power in Oaxaca for decades and has often been accused of political corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
. This played out in the allegations of electoral fraud
Electoral fraud
Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates or both...
that accompanied Ruiz's election as governor in 2004. Also, Ruiz has been blamed for repression
Political repression
Political repression is the persecution of an individual or group for political reasons, particularly for the purpose of restricting or preventing their ability to take political life of society....
and violence against political opponents, media outlets, and indigenous peoples in Oaxaca. Finally, many people were angered over public works projects in the city that they said were corruptly managed and resulted in the destruction of main squares and public spaces in the historic center of the city.
Popular Assembly
In the light of this situation, and the impression that the state government was repressive and had become effectively powerless in governing, the APPO was created and convened for the first time on June 17, 2006. It declared itself the de facto governing body of Oaxaca. Its body included representatives of Oaxaca’s state regions and municipalities, unions, non-governmental organizations, social organizations, and cooperatives, the largest group being Section 22, the Oaxacan teachers' union. It encouraged all Oaxacans to organize popular assemblies at every level: neighborhoods, street blocks, unions, and towns. The APPO took the slogan that it was a "movement of the bases, not of leaders" and asserted the need for common civilians to organize and work beyond the scope of elected officials. While the primary demand of the APPO has been the removal of the governor of Oaxaca, they have also called for broader economic, social and political transformations, as well as changes in the state's constitution. This goal was furthered through the formation of the State Council of the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca (CEAPPO) during the APPO's November Constitutional Congress. The State Council is an effort to create an organization that will outlive the current mobilization and extend beyond the capital city throughout the state. The Council is formed of 260 representatives from the various regions and sectors of Oaxaca, including 40 members of the teachers' union.Included in the resolutions of the APPO are a recognition of indigenous rights and autonomy, gender equality
Gender equality
Gender equality is the goal of the equality of the genders, stemming from a belief in the injustice of myriad forms of gender inequality.- Concept :...
, political accountability, opposition to neoliberalism
Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism is a market-driven approach to economic and social policy based on neoclassical theories of economics that emphasizes the efficiency of private enterprise, liberalized trade and relatively open markets, and therefore seeks to maximize the role of the private sector in determining the...
and Plan Puebla Panamá
Plan Puebla Panama
The Puebla-Panama Plan is a multi-billion dollar development plan formally initiated in 2001, which is intended to "promote the regional integration and development" of the nine southern states of Mexico with all of Central America and Colombia...
, a demand for an alternative education, and collectively run media, amongst others.
The Popular Assembly of Oaxaca uses inspiration indigenous political practices called 'usos y costumbres
Usos y costumbres
Usos y costumbres is a legal term denoting indigenous customary law in Latin America. Since the era of Spanish colonialism, authorities have recognized local forms of rulership, self governance, and juridical practice, with varying degrees of acceptance and formality...
' (traditional usages and customs) that have been incorporated into the municipal level government of Oaxaca. These practices stand apart from standard electoral politics in that the assembly structure does not include secret voting procedures, but rather open meetings to make decisions. According to the APPO:
'The executive branch' (the authorities) is charged with accomplishing the tasks the assembly gives it. The municipal president, foremost among the authorities, leads (as the Zapatistas’ phrase explains) by obeying. For the population of Oaxaca, the idea of governing by consensus remains part of the common cultural heritage. Therefore, as APPO was convoked, the modest people who comprise 80% of Oaxaca’s population, recognized it immediately. And they support it, despite the obvious difficulties of convening authorities from around the state. Since these authorities receive no pay, a trip to the capital city is not easy. But it’s happening.
The APPO refused to negotiate with the state government and met with officials of the federal government periodically throughout the conflict, but has yet to be able to negotiate a resolution to the conflict.
Criticism
Since the conflict began, APPO members have spray painted many walls with graffiti, set vehicles on fire, bombed buildings as well as other violent acts while calling for the resignation of the Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz. The barricades set up by the movement to protect themselves from arrests have been accused of scaring off tourists. When a group of business owners decided to protest the lack of action by the federal government to solve the crisis by closing their businesses, some received threats spray painted on their walls. Some accuse APPO members of intimidating business owners.Some people have lost their jobs due to the conflict, because of the decline of the tourism industry. Many restaurants, hotels and people who depend on tourism have seen a sharp decline in tourist business. In July 2006, APPO members refused to allow the state-organized “Guelaguetza
Guelaguetza
The Guelaguetza, or Los lunes del cerro is an annual indigenous cultural event in Mexico that takes place in the city of Oaxaca, capital of the state of Oaxaca, as well as in nearby villages...
” festival to occur. They shut down construction and burned parts of the stage in which the festival was going to take place. Instead, the APPO held an alternative free Guelaguetza festival to replace the boycotted government organized celebration.
Different corporate radio and television stations had been taken by members of the APPO and they had refused to return the stations to their official owners. The radio stations operated by APPO members were sites of frequent violent attacks by PRI supporters, state, local and federal police (PFP). Currently, movement members are only broadcasting from the University radio station.
See also
- 2006 Atenco conflict2006 civil unrest in San Salvador AtencoThe civil unrest in San Salvador Atenco of 2006 began on Wednesday, May 3, when police prevented a group of 60 flower vendors from selling at the Texcoco local market in the State of México, about from Mexico City. Police used violence and arrest against resisters...
- Popular assemblyPopular assemblyA popular or people's assembly is a gathering called to address issues of importance to participants. Assemblies tend to be freely open to participation and operate by direct democracy...
External links
- The Narco News Bulletin - APPO, The De Facto Government in Oaxaca, Moves Toward Permanence
- Interview with Flavio Sosa: APPO is questioning the traditional ways of doing politics
- Popular Assemblies and the Growing Popular Assembly Movement - commentary from Oaxaca by Nancy Davies 4 January 2007
- The Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca
- "Un Poquito de Tanta Verdad" by Corrugated Films