Yo Soy 132 demonstrators in Mérida, Sunday, June 10. "People who don't defend what's theirs end up being tenants in their own country."
Mérida, Yucatán --
Local members of the national student protest movement known as YoSoy 132 today promised to ratchet up the thermostat in this already sweltering capital city of Yucatán.
They gathered at Mérida's Pasaje de la Revolución late this morning, turbo charged by the rising poll numbers of PRD candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador and outraged by the revelation of campaign funds allegedly paid by PRI front runner Enrique Peña Nieto to Televisa, the world's largest Spanish language network. According to stores published by the British newspaper The Guardian, Peña Nieto hired Televisa while he was governor of the State of Mexico (2005-2011) to "raise his national image," and to position himself for a run at Mexico's presidency in 2012. The election is July 1.
The same stories allege that former PAN president Vicente Fox (2000-2006) paid huge sums to Televisa to ensure that López Obrador would be defeated in the country's last election. He was -- but by a scant 0.59%, the closest presidential race in the nations's 202 year history. The political terror among some in this country is that leftist López Obrador will deliver an encore performance three weeks from today.
Both Televisa and Peña Nieto have vigorously denied the paper's accusations, and have roundly criticized The Guardian for publishing them. So far, Vicente Fox has said nothing. But the YoSoyers at today's rally, Mérida's third since May 23, were plainly convinced that PRI is trying to buy Mexico's next election by a Madison Avenue advertising campaign, and they don't plan to take it laying down.
Although event organizers emphasized again this morning that YoSoy is "non-partisan," and stands neither for or against any political party or candidate, many participants were vocal in their opposition to Peña Nieto and to a lesser extent, to PAN candidate Josefina Vázquez Mota. As the microphone was passed to anyone who wanted to speak -- referred to here as yielding la palabra ("the word") -- the student-dominated crowd expressed enthusiastic support for López Obrador, whom they say represents the only potential for meaningful change in this nation of 110 million.
The Yucatán branch of the movement took a voice vote on the yeahs and nays for YoSoy 132's core principles (all of which passed), elected interim officers and announced plans for poll monitoring throughout the state on July 1. They intend to continue carrying their message to the streets over the next three weeks, so that Mexico's future is not "stolen by politicians and the media. The politicians' only loyalty is to themselves, and to their parties; they have no loyalty to the Mexican people," said a speaker today.
YoSoy demonstrators turned out today in more than a dozen cities (Marcha YoSoy132: http://www.milenio.com/cdb/doc/noticias2011/0d256b03c0d1a065ce41f8885f21791d). CNN reported that 90,000 protesters marched in Mexico City, in a demonstration heavily focused against Enrique Peña Nieto (Miles de ciudadanos se manifiestan en la segunda marcha anti-Peña Nieto: http://mexico.cnn.com/nacional/2012/06/10/miles-de-ciudadanos-se-manifiestan-en-la-segunda-marcha-anti-pena-nieto).
U.K.'s Guardian reveals Televisa-EPN deal: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.mx/2012/06/uks-guardian-reveals-televisa-pri-deal.html.
Peña Nieto rejects YoSoy debate demand: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.mx/2012/06/pena-nieto-rejects-yosoy-debate-demand.html
YoSoy 132 demands final debate between Mexican presidential candidates: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.mx/2012/06/yosoy-132-demands-final-debate-between.html#more.
The Old Guard's worst nightmare: Andrés Manuel López Obrador: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.mx/2012/06/old-guards-worst-nightmare-andres.html.
Vicente Fox, a PRIsta in very thin disguise: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.mx/2012/06/vicente-fox-prista-in-very-thin.html.
Mexicans surveyed on YoSoy 132 attitudes: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.mx/2012/06/mexicans-surveyed-on-yosoy-132.html
YoSoy 132 returns to Mérida streets, this time showing its true colors: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.mx/2012/06/yosoy-132-returns-to-merida-streets.html#more
"YoSoy 132" protest arrives in Mérida: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.mx/2012/05/yosoy-132-protest-arrives-in-
merida.html.
Mexico's presidential campaign begins: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.mx/2012/03/mexicos-presidential-campaign-opens.html.
"We believe in Utopia, because to us the reality of things seems beyond belief."
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