Postscript to Revolution Day
Last night thousands of protestors gathered in Mexico City's main plaza, "el Zócalo". I have not read an estimate of the number present, but they filled the enormous city square and the streets leading into "el Zócalo". Again, the speeches demanded the return of the missing students... "¡Vivos los queremos!" (We want them alive!). It's understandable that the parents of the missing hold out hope that their children are still alive, but, after nearly two months, I think that the possibility of that is virtually nil.
At the end of the demonstration, there were skirmishes between a miniscule fraction of the crowd and the troops guarding the National Palace. Fortunately there was no repeat of the infamous massacre of 1968, in which the government fired upon and murdered hundreds of protestors. I think that President Peña Nieto realizes that is not an option... that such an action would provoke a crisis far greater than what he already faces.
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Peña Nieto had an opportunity here to prove himself a different kind of Mexican leader. He could have met with the leaders of the protest. He could have commissioned an independent committee to get to the bottom of things. There are many things he could have done. But instead of doing that, he jetted off to China in the midst of all the protests and concern. This, of course, leads people who might have been willing to consider the PRI reformed, to believe that indeed the "dinosaurs" are controlling EPN behind the scenes.
ReplyDeleteThis whole thing is just SO sad.
Saludos,
Kim G
Boston, MA
Where we feel for the people of Mexico.
And then to have the issues of the "bullet train" and his wife's house come at the same time... his reputation sunk even lower.
ReplyDeleteNow it's coming out that there was more to last night's scuffles with the police... the police were doing much more than just retaliating against the small faction of "rowdies". They were abusing peaceful demonstrators too. I'm not so sure that Peña Nieto might not try to pull off another Tlatelolco.
Saludos,
Bill