Mexico’s students have a long history with strong protest movements and violent police repression. For example, using social media to highlight the inequity of mainstream media and document truths, student movements such as #yosoy132 have gone so far as to spark the implementation of presidential debates to inform young voters of candidate corruption and human rights abuses of politicians up for election.
In response to the “disappeared” (i.e. the intentionally murdered) students, there has been an outpouring of national student support in favor of an end to government corruption and the privatization of education. In the following weeks, there were marches with over 50,000 students taking hold of Mexico City. Many of these early protests in Mexico City took place in the absence of police intervention in the government’s attempt to de-escalate the situation. However, on November 15th police officers stormed UNAM’s campus and confronted students occupying the philosophy department where they had hidden cameras to record student meetings. This intervention was thought to be an attempt at a second wave to disappear political student agitators. In Veracruz and Guerrero protestors have burned down state capital buildings and regional offices of the ruling parties. In Acapulco, Guerrero, students and professors from the Rural Normal Schools occupied the international airport. Student marches in solidarity with the Nomalistas demanding government support provided to rural public schools along with an end to state violence continue.
More on #YoSoy132 student campaign:
http://www.maskmagazine.com/the-heretic-issue/struggle/a-fall-of-student-protest-in-mexico
Further Reading on Protests
In response to the “disappeared” (i.e. the intentionally murdered) students, there has been an outpouring of national student support in favor of an end to government corruption and the privatization of education. In the following weeks, there were marches with over 50,000 students taking hold of Mexico City. Many of these early protests in Mexico City took place in the absence of police intervention in the government’s attempt to de-escalate the situation. However, on November 15th police officers stormed UNAM’s campus and confronted students occupying the philosophy department where they had hidden cameras to record student meetings. This intervention was thought to be an attempt at a second wave to disappear political student agitators. In Veracruz and Guerrero protestors have burned down state capital buildings and regional offices of the ruling parties. In Acapulco, Guerrero, students and professors from the Rural Normal Schools occupied the international airport. Student marches in solidarity with the Nomalistas demanding government support provided to rural public schools along with an end to state violence continue.
More on #YoSoy132 student campaign:
http://www.maskmagazine.com/the-heretic-issue/struggle/a-fall-of-student-protest-in-mexico
Further Reading on Protests
- http://uprisingradio.org/home/2013/09/09/mexico-teachers-protest-education-privatization/
- http://www.maskmagazine.com/the-heretic-issue/struggle/a-fall-of-student-protest-in-mexico
- http://www.dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/teachers-education-reform-and-mexicos-left:
- http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/10/29/mexico-students-missing.html:
Video and info of teachers protesting a reform that fires any teacher whose students cannot pass 3 newly implemented standardized tests that does not take into account access/ socioeconomic climate.: