Oaxaca news

The revolt of the Oaxacan people against their governor, Ulysis Ruiz Ortiz, has come to a critical stage in the last week. Oaxaca City is basically under siege by federal anti-riot police, and resistence is strong on the streets.

Last Friday an American Indymedia journalist was killed by police while standing with protesters and filming the assault. His name was Brad Will, an anarchist from NYC who'd been reporting on the whole insurrection for some time. Two other locals were also killed in the police assault. Their deaths are by no means the first.

Ruiz's state government has been paralyzed for quite some time due to the ever-widening solidarity in this struggle against his autocratic rule and current "dirty war", to the point where in the last couple of days the Mexican congress has actually voted that he should resign. This is a totally non-binding decision but it speaks loudly to the events of the last four or five months, especially the intimidation, killings, and disappearances of a number of the popular assembly's leading members, not to mention the fact of the police state Oaxacans have been generally confronted with since the teachers' union protest for better wages and educational standards began back in June.

Go to Oaxaca Indymedia to learn more, or google the Mexican newspaper La Jornada or the newsweekly El Proceso (if you've got the Spanish).