Update from Oaxaca pt. 7 : AZ IMC

It was announced today that the PFP operation in Oaxaca has entered the second of three phases. The second phase is the patrolling of the entire city, making it “safe” again for the inhabitants to come out into the streets. The third phase will be the carrying out of over 200 arrest warrants for movement leaders. The PFP say that they want everything to continue as it has been, and that the APPO has not forced their hand to squash the movement, something that will happen the first time that the APPO fires a shot.

PFP intelligence confirms that there are armed PRI groups committing violent acts and attempting to attribute them to the APPO, but that the plan has not worked. However, it’s common knowledge that these PRI groups, many of whom are policemen dressed as civilians, are linked to the PFP. In addition to this, the PFP is compounding the violence it has committed by looting stores around its Zocalo stronghold, something which didn’t happen during all five months of the APPO presence there. There have been 50 official complaints of human rights violations by the PFP, and as of today, there have been 6 deaths, 11 disappearances, and 22 arrests since the federal forces entered the city on Friday. The PFP has said that it is willing to stay as long as necessary, months if necessary, and that they will let no political protests pass through the Zocalo, even if it’s purely symbolic. They also say that arrests will be made for serious crimes. At least 10 people have been arrested and charged with the theft of 8 busses, appropriated during protests.

The APPO has responded strongly to the announcement of the impending third phase of the PFP operation. Movement spokesperson Flavio Sosa says that if any more APPO leaders are arrested, there can be no continued guarantee of safety for the PFP officers. As of now, Radio Universidad is still calling for peaceful protest, but notes that peaceful resistance can include carrying sticks and rocks for self-defense. The radio constantly implores that there be no provocation of federal forces, since nobody wants to see more deaths or injuries.

There have been numerous flyovers by army helicopters at the Santo Domingo APPO camp today. The helicopters were flying low enough to permit onlookers to read their ID numbers on the fuselage and tail, and circled at least a dozen times over the course of an hour. But activity continued as normal at the camp, with APPO members and sympathizers pausing only a moment or two to whistle and flip the bird to the helicopters, then returning to talking, organizing, and building Day of the Dead altars.

Two people were killed today in the Channel 9 barricades, and the Brenamiel neighborhood barricade was completely overrun by federal forces a few hours ago. The house of the Popular Indigenous Council of Oaxaca (CIPO), located in a PRI stronghold neighborhood, has been threatened this evening by PRI forces. All of the CIPO members have left for their own safety, and the internationals currently in the house are considering what their course of action should be. The internationals include two members of the Pittsburgh Organizing Group, whose reports about the conflict can be read at infoshop.org and organizepittsburgh.org.