58 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
58 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
The **Mexican Movement of 1968** or **Movimiento Estudianti** was a
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student movement and series of protests demanding greater civil
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liberties, [democracy](democracy "wikilink") and a reduction of
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[economic inequality](Economic_Inequality "wikilink") in
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[Mexico](Mexico "wikilink") in
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[1968](Timeline_of_Libertarian_Socialism_in_Central_America "wikilink").
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## Background
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Since the end of the [Mexican
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Revolution](Mexican_Revolution "wikilink"), Mexico had been an
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authoritarian one-party state that repressed dissenters. However, the
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country had been going through an [economic
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miracle](Mexican_Miracle "wikilink") and the population became more
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education and urbanised, leading to rapid discontent with the
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government. Inspired by a recent wave of strikes in the mid-1960s and
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the [global unrest in the late
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1960s](Revolutions_of_1967_-_1975 "wikilink"), people began to dissent
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against the government. In addition, the 1968 olympics were to be held
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in Mexico, and many felt that the [money](money "wikilink") would be
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better spent elsewhere.
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## Events
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On the 22nd and 23rd July, 1968, a series of fights between students at
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the Vocational Schools 2 and 5 affiliated with the National Polytechnic
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Institute (IPN) and the Isaac Ochoterena High School, a preparatory
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school affiliated with National Autonomous University of Mexico. Police
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violently broke up the fights, arresting students and entereing the
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schools. Students and communist protesters organised against the
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repression on the 26th of July, in memory of the [26th of July
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Movement](26th_of_July_Movement "wikilink") in the [Cuban
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Revolution](Cuban_Revolution "wikilink"). Soon, frustrated protesters
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set fire to empty buses, leading to hundreds of injuries and arrests.
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Students hid in a school and with the police claiming them to be a
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threat to national security (due to communist links) they destroyed the
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door (from the 18th century) with a rocket launcher.
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This is eventually led to a massive student march and the formation of
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the National Strike Council, which coordinated protests for social,
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educational and political reforms. They also formed brigades (group of
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six or more students) who distributed leaflets on the street, markets
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and on buses about various issues in the country and spoke about
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government corruption and repression. Most drivers and passengers
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sympathised with them, and they organised an even larger protest march,
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and in response the military occupied the National Autonomous University
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of Mexico. The military attempted to occupy two more campuses as
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students used small arms and molotov cocktails.
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The students held the campuses for more than 12 hours and 15 people were
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killed and over a 1,000 bullets were fired. Afterwards a [popular
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assembly](Democratic_Assembly "wikilink") of 10,000 people was held in a
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major city plaza in Mexico City, before several helicopters dropped
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flairs and [massacred](Tlatelolco_Massacre "wikilink") between 300 and
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400 people. This was the starting point of the [Mexican Dirty
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War](Mexican_Dirty_War "wikilink") and radicalised many people,
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including the future organisers of the
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[EZLN](Zapatista_Army_of_National_Liberation "wikilink"). |