Thousands march against governor in Mexico's Oaxaca

Oaxaca
Feb 5

Tens of thousands of protesters marched to the centre of Mexico's historic southern city of Oaxaca on Saturday, showing that an eight-month-old movement to oust the State Governor is still alive despite hundreds of arrests.

Spraying graffiti calling Oaxaca State Gov. Ulises Ruiz a ``murderer'' and waving banners calling for ``Freedom for Political Prisoners,'' the demonstrators walked passed thousands of police in riot gear guarding the city's central plaza. There were no immediate reports of fighting or arrests.

The protesters, a mix of teachers, trade unions and assorted leftist and Indian groups, are demanding the resignation of Ruiz, whom they accuse of rigging his 2004 election and sending gangs of armed thugs to attack dissenters.

Official estimates of the crowd size were not available. But an Associated Press reporter at the march estimated the number of protesters at about 20,000.

Ruiz, a member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, which ruled Mexico for most of the 20th century, denies the charges.

Protests against Ruiz erupted in June when state police attacked a demonstration of striking teachers demanding higher wages.

The protesters took over the centre of the colonial city for five months, chasing out the police, building barricades and burning buses. At least nine people died between June and November as the police and armed gangs clashed with protesters, and the vital tourist industry was shattered.

More than 4,000 federal police pushed the demonstrators out in October and November, detaining hundreds of people including several leaders of the protest movement. Dozens of people are still behind bars.

But the city has been relatively calm since December. Last month the U.S. State Department downgraded its travel advisory for Oaxaca, saying Americans should use caution in the region instead of avoiding it altogether.