It seems that everyday people wake up to another horror, and on June 19 the residents of Oaxaca, Mexico, were no exception. Yet another tragedy has occurred in the Nochixtlán District of Oaxaca, where teachers began to protest the arrest of two teachers’ union members, Ruben Nuñez and Franciso Villalobos, who they claim were wrongfully taken into custody. These protests quickly turned deadly as protestors and police clashed in an effort to gain control, and twelve have been pronounced dead and more than 100 were wounded. While what exactly happened remains unclear, it seems that protestors were attacked by police who were carrying automatic weapons. Pictures and videos about officers using these weapons against protestors who have stood hundreds of feet away have surfaced.
This directly contradicts official statements made by the Mexican government that claim the police were not armed and in fact ambushed by protesters. There have also been many eyewitness accounts to supply testimony against the government’s statements. In an article written by Democracy Now, one Oaxacan teacher who did not give her name for her safety stated, “As soon as they [the police] arrived, they began to attack. And we were few, very few. Then we started running. But they began to attack right away, instantly. At no time did they give warning to clear the area.” Even worse, reports made by the Mexican outlet Sin Embargo state that hospitals in Nochixtlán are only treating wounded police officers, and many local reporters have reported being targeted by police for taking videos and pictures of the incident.
Although the police were sent to Oaxaca to put an end to protesting, the killings that ensued sparked nationwide anger and protests continues. The same Oaxacan teacher quoted above stated, “We are going to stay here until the government is willing to talk. If tomorrow the government is open to dialogue, then the conflict ends” and “Until there is dialogue, we will not end our protest demanding education reform. And who will revive our dead? The dialogue won’t bring our dead back to life."
Translation: "Rebels aren't the ones who create the world's problems. It's the world's problems that create rebels"
Many are left asking, “Why did this happen?” and the only answer is that the people of Mexico are not in favor of their government’s recent push for neoliberal education reform. The issue that stands is that many Mexican teachers actually want education reform that focuses on helping poor students and teachers, but the reform the Mexican government has pushed for isn't giving enough attention to that area. Many are also calling the reform unjust because it not only shifts power from the Mexican teachers union (which proposed its own education reform six years ago that focused on respecting the indigenous culture and foreign relationships between teachers, parents and students) to the federal government but also calls for the mandatory testing of teachers.
Many oppose this testing because it takes power away from local teaching schools that have helped young teachers from poor families build careers, while also giving bad scores to good teachers. Many also claim that the arrests of the union members were done in an attempt to sway opposition, and to stand as a warning. Luis Hernández Navarro, a former teacher and now editor for the Mexico City daily La Jornada stated, “Their detention is simultaneously a warning of what can happen to other teachers who continue to reject the [federal government’s] education reform and a payback to force the movement to demobilize.”
Translation: "In Mexico, the education is not free... You pay with your life and your liberty."
Mexico faces a long road ahead of them as political unrest continues. The education reform is only one of many problems that Mexico is dealing with, but with the body count rising every day, it is quickly becoming one of the most heated issues the country faces.
