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Turn for the worse in Oaxaca

By Jeremy Schwartz | Monday, September 25, 2006, 02:08 PM

Things got even more hairy in the Oaxacan capital this weekend with a return to violence after a fairly calm few weeks. One protester was shot in the arm after a nasty scuffle outside the exclusive Camino Real Hotel, the snazziest in the city.

Striking teachers and their supporters, who have seized downtown Oaxaca city, descended on the hotel after hearing a rumor that Gov. Ulises Ruiz was there. They went on a door-to-door search for the reviled governor. They failed to find him, but succeeded in scaring a lot of guests and at least one journalist who was holed up in the hotel with a couple of cowering congressmen. Gunmen then appeared on the scene (Mexican media reported plain-clothed police were involved), provoking a shootout.

Events are clearly escalating in Oaxaca. Over the weekend, the governor issued an ultimatum to striking teachers, saying those who didn’t return to classes today would be fired, something sure to rile the strikers. Meanwhile, protesters set off on a weeks-long walk to Mexico City where they plan more acts of civil resistance.

The U.S. Embassy also issued another travel advisory for the city on Sunday.

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