Women fight for civil rights in Mexico

JaJae · 08-02-2006, 11:41 PM

Women seize TV station in Oaxaca, Mexico

By REBECA ROMERO, Associated Press WriterWed Aug 2, 2:59 PM ET

About 500 Spanish women banging spoons against pots and pans seized a state-run television station and broadcast a homemade video Wednesday that showed police kicking protesters out of Oaxaca's main square last month.

The women took control of Oaxaca's Channel 9 station Tuesday and held employees for about six hours before releasing them. It was unclear how long the siege would last and police were nowhere to be seen near the station Wednesday.

The standoff is the latest by demonstrators who accuse Gov. Ulises Ruiz of rigging his 2004 election victory and violently repressing opposition groups.

Station director Mercedes Rojas said the state has filed a criminal complaint with the federal attorney general's office, noting that the station has about $54.5 million worth of equipment inside and that the protesters had threatened the 60 employees with violence while holding them captive.

Federal officials have not commented on the standoff.

Tensions have been on the rise since June, when state police attacked a demonstration of striking teachers occupying the historic central plaza and demanding a wage increase.

Since then, thousands of teachers, unionists and leftists have camped out in the plaza, spray-painting buildings with revolutionary slogans, smashing hotel windows and erecting makeshift barricades. Most businesses remain closed.

The unrest has paralyzed one of Mexico's top cultural attractions, where visitors to the southern city normally browse traditional markets for Indian handicrafts, hike ancient pyramids and stroll cobblestone streets to sample mole dishes. Officials recently canceled a prominent cultural festival because of fears that violence could injure tourists and residents.

Tourism is down 75 percent, costing the city more than $45 million, according to the Mexican Employers Federation. Business leaders have asked the federal government to intervene, but aides to President Vicente Fox have said the problem must be resolved at the state level.

Aside from the hilarity factor of 500 women taking over a television station with pots and spoons..

I think this is good for Mexico. The people are starting to complain about political activities that's hurting them. That country has plenty of resources and oil, there's no reason people should be running to America to pick strawberries. That country needs to get its act together. They can't keep expecting to leach off being our neighbor to keep themselves afloat.

kinggovernor · 08-02-2006, 11:42 PM

lol @ pots and pans

IminWonderland · 08-03-2006, 12:00 AM

I totally agree with you. This is where revolution starts, and that's the way it should be. The country has wealth, the poor just need to figure out how to get it.

motivez · 08-03-2006, 12:37 AM

I wonder if there's any video of them storming the tv station?

civicmon · 08-03-2006, 09:43 AM

fyi, pots and pans are used by women in a lot of latin america as a way to signal their presense and draw attention to their cause.

Concept · 08-03-2006, 10:01 AM

Pots and Pans are used by many Miamians to celebrate the potential death of a Communist Dictator...

TheMrs · 08-03-2006, 11:40 AM

A well placed pot upside the head is also an effective means of gaining someones attention.

Ardentfrost · 08-03-2006, 01:24 PM

Originally Posted by TheMrs

A well placed pot upside the head is also an effective means of gaining someones attention.

side story: when I was 3, I used to play with the pots and pans in the kitchen while mom cooked (mostly I would spin lids) and my dad was sleeping on the couch one day with his head hanging over the edge, and apparently I went in there and bonked him with a frying pan pretty good. He says the only reason I'm still alive today is because immediately after I hit him, I dropped the pan and ran to my mother.

Concept · 08-03-2006, 01:29 PM

Originally Posted by Ardentfrost

side story: when I was 3, I used to play with the pots and pans in the kitchen while mom cooked (mostly I would spin lids) and my dad was sleeping on the couch one day with his head hanging over the edge, and apparently I went in there and bonked him with a frying pan pretty good. He says the only reason I'm still alive today is because immediately after I hit him, I dropped the pan and ran to my mother.

Oh my.

Phantom · 08-03-2006, 01:30 PM

I hope this isn't out of line, but be scared of hispanic women wielding kitchen utensils - they can be more dangerous than it sounds!

Concept · 08-03-2006, 01:46 PM

Trust me. My grandma is from Havana.

I know