From La Jornada (my translation)
"The force of repression will not overpower the force of reason."
“Violence won’t be coming from our side, because our movement is and will continue to be peaceful,” assured supporters of the “For The Good Of All” coalition yesterday, from their protest camps that stretch from the Zócalo to the Petróleos Fountain. The day was spent preparing for the huge gathering expected today in Constitution Square, where a multitude will gather to hear Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador’s speech on the final Report of president Vicente Fox on the state of the republic.
According to PRD leaders responsible for coordinating the mobilization, it is anticipated that 600 thousand supporters of the coalition will participate in the protest against the administration and its attempt to illicitly install Felipe Calderón in the Presidency and impose him on the Republic.
That they might follow the events in the Legislature as they develop, giant video screens have been placed throughout the Centro Histórico, in consideration of those who remain to guard the encampments that stretch through the corridor of resistance in this centuries-old neighbourhood. "We are not going to fall in the trap of those who think that our protest will end in a violent confrontation," one young man named Eduardo commented from the Magdalena Contreras Hernandez encampment. He, like many other activists, used the day to organize audio and video equipment to be used for information assemblies in the public
plazas near the National Democratic Convention (CND).
In spite of the rumors of an imminent forced evacuation, yesterday’s educational and recreational activities were infused with an extraordinary energy and enthusiasm; this spread throughout the camps of Cuauhtémoc and Venustiano Carranza boroughs, as well as those on Madero Street. This enthusiasm floated on the rythms of the music played by communitarian radio stations, whose repertoire included songs of Insipid Mercedes, Tania Freedom, Eugenia Leon, and the fashionable rythms of reggaeton and rap. It was also evident in the lively artistic interpretations that Lopez Obrador’s supporters hand-painted on banners and placards, all of which reflected the verve of the day.
Upon seeing the relocation of some of the encampments in Madero street, which included the lowering of posters and drawings, some supporters of the civil resistance movement, such as Antonio Marco Montero, worriedly approached and asked if the protest camp was being withdrawn. It was explained to him that they were merely trying to renovate the slogans and the political material of the camps, that would now feature more patriotic sentiments, all of which was initiated by camp protesters themselves.
Repudiating the state of siege in San Lazaro
"The force of the repression will not overpower the force of the reason", and "I don’t fear tanks, I fear a country without democracy", are some of the expressions of defiance answering the state of siege that prevails in the seat of the Legislative Power. This siege is considered to be a preview of how "the extreme right will attempt to insinuate itself into power." The activists say that the fight "is now entering a difficult and distinctive stage", i.e., the stage after Fox’s Report to Congress. Now protesters face the military parade of September 16th [Independence Day.] It is on that day, many fear, that the government will resort to the use of force to bring the protests to a violent end.
According to Juan Manuel Nava, a protester in the Venustiano Carranza encampment, the introduction of the army and of tanks into the mix, just shows "that although they come under the guise of celebrating Independence Day, in truth they will try to prevail [over the protesters.] They will try to mount the highest political stage of the country by means of the same streets that Benito Juárez used and by which Francisco I. Madero entered the city triumphantly to take possession of the Presidency after overthrowing to the porfirista dictatorship."
“The real problem won't start tomorrow, but rather when the Electoral Tribunal gives its verdict, and when Felipe Calderón takes office, because that's when the imposition will actually take place", commented local Deputy-elect Ricardo Garcia. At the Alvaro Obregon encampment García announced that on that day he'll fire the starting gun to begin the march of convention assembly participant teams to elect delegates to communtities, townships and neighbourhoods in his Delegation.
“Violence won’t be coming from our side, because our movement is and will continue to be peaceful,” assured supporters of the “For The Good Of All” coalition yesterday, from their protest camps that stretch from the Zócalo to the Petróleos Fountain. The day was spent preparing for the huge gathering expected today in Constitution Square, where a multitude will gather to hear Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador’s speech on the final Report of president Vicente Fox on the state of the republic.
According to PRD leaders responsible for coordinating the mobilization, it is anticipated that 600 thousand supporters of the coalition will participate in the protest against the administration and its attempt to illicitly install Felipe Calderón in the Presidency and impose him on the Republic.
That they might follow the events in the Legislature as they develop, giant video screens have been placed throughout the Centro Histórico, in consideration of those who remain to guard the encampments that stretch through the corridor of resistance in this centuries-old neighbourhood. "We are not going to fall in the trap of those who think that our protest will end in a violent confrontation," one young man named Eduardo commented from the Magdalena Contreras Hernandez encampment. He, like many other activists, used the day to organize audio and video equipment to be used for information assemblies in the public
plazas near the National Democratic Convention (CND).
In spite of the rumors of an imminent forced evacuation, yesterday’s educational and recreational activities were infused with an extraordinary energy and enthusiasm; this spread throughout the camps of Cuauhtémoc and Venustiano Carranza boroughs, as well as those on Madero Street. This enthusiasm floated on the rythms of the music played by communitarian radio stations, whose repertoire included songs of Insipid Mercedes, Tania Freedom, Eugenia Leon, and the fashionable rythms of reggaeton and rap. It was also evident in the lively artistic interpretations that Lopez Obrador’s supporters hand-painted on banners and placards, all of which reflected the verve of the day.
Upon seeing the relocation of some of the encampments in Madero street, which included the lowering of posters and drawings, some supporters of the civil resistance movement, such as Antonio Marco Montero, worriedly approached and asked if the protest camp was being withdrawn. It was explained to him that they were merely trying to renovate the slogans and the political material of the camps, that would now feature more patriotic sentiments, all of which was initiated by camp protesters themselves.
Repudiating the state of siege in San Lazaro
"The force of the repression will not overpower the force of the reason", and "I don’t fear tanks, I fear a country without democracy", are some of the expressions of defiance answering the state of siege that prevails in the seat of the Legislative Power. This siege is considered to be a preview of how "the extreme right will attempt to insinuate itself into power." The activists say that the fight "is now entering a difficult and distinctive stage", i.e., the stage after Fox’s Report to Congress. Now protesters face the military parade of September 16th [Independence Day.] It is on that day, many fear, that the government will resort to the use of force to bring the protests to a violent end.
According to Juan Manuel Nava, a protester in the Venustiano Carranza encampment, the introduction of the army and of tanks into the mix, just shows "that although they come under the guise of celebrating Independence Day, in truth they will try to prevail [over the protesters.] They will try to mount the highest political stage of the country by means of the same streets that Benito Juárez used and by which Francisco I. Madero entered the city triumphantly to take possession of the Presidency after overthrowing to the porfirista dictatorship."
“The real problem won't start tomorrow, but rather when the Electoral Tribunal gives its verdict, and when Felipe Calderón takes office, because that's when the imposition will actually take place", commented local Deputy-elect Ricardo Garcia. At the Alvaro Obregon encampment García announced that on that day he'll fire the starting gun to begin the march of convention assembly participant teams to elect delegates to communtities, townships and neighbourhoods in his Delegation.
Comments
Sherry Bingus Poon
Communications Student
Generic US university
Like, ehmm...