#Iam132 presents proposals for media democratization

CNN Mexico Blog: Americas Program Original Translation

On Tuesday, members of the student movement #Iam132 presented a series of proposals for media democratization in Mexico, one of the themes that gave rise to this protest group.

In a document that includes six issue areas, the activists mentioned that a media model should be established which consists of a commercial sector, another public and a community social one, in which citizens can be included from diverse sectors.

In another section, the document mentions that “the communication should be recognized as a public service and not as a matter of social interest,” and that the State should guarantee freedom of expression.

“It is necessary to promote public policies that aim to a media literacy such as the elimination of the digital divide,” added the representatives of around 20 assemblies, that make up the work group for the democratization of the media.

On its political position, the youth of this group indicated in a press conference that “the media monopoly” has taken the leading role in the state-level decision-making, “through the manipulation of public opinion, particularly the television.”

See Spanish original.
Translation by Bonnie Ho, Americas Program

Protests Against Elections Heat Up with "National March Against the Imposition"

Photo: Clayton Conn

Mexicans hit the streets again on Sunday, in the third mass demonstration against the apparent president-elect, Enrique Peña Nieto, in the three weeks since the elections. After months of demonstrations, Mexico's movement to reject the return of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)
shows no signs of fading away.

The July 22 "National March Against the Imposition" began at the presidential residence and arrived shortly after noon at Mexico City's Angel of Independence. Hundreds of people waited to join at the gold-tipped monument, swelling the ranks as students, unions, and citizens moved on to the central plaza.

At the final destination, tens of thousands poured into the square. They marched in clumps and converged from different routes, making it impossible to grasp the full dimension of the march at any given moment. But what the mobilization lacked in route planning, it made up for in energy, indignation and creativity.

This was about the fifth or sixth march against the PRI and its candidate that I've observed first-hand.  I wanted to check out two questions at this one: 1) what difference, if any, the coalition of organizations forged during the National Convention July 14-15 made and 2) what the main demands are, as election day fades into history and evidence of foul play mounts. I also wanted to see if accusations that the student-led movement is controlled by the opposition Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) had any substance behind them.

Organizations like the electricians union (SME) and the democratic current of the teachers' union (CNTE) that took part in the planning meeting in the town of Atenco turned out, although not in huge  numbers. The march was called just a week after the accords in Atenco and most organizations have to go through a series of assemblies to make decisions. It may take longer to really assess the impact of the formal incorporation of other sectors into the movement against Peña Nieto and the PRI.

Some unions and universities walked in contingents but for the most part, the march--unlike most Mexico marches--was made up of citizens with home-made signs who marched without visible organizations. Most were young, some were older, including veterans of past movements. The predominance of seemingly unaffiliated people added to the sense of spontaneity of the demonstration, but also to questions about its longer term direction and longevity.

National March Against the Imposition
Since the elections and accusations of fraud, vote-buying and coercion, the marches against the PRI have focused more on the electoral process. "Imposition" refers to the protesters' belief that Peña Nieto was imposed on voters through a series of manipulations and falsifications that violated electoral laws and the popular will. Recent demonstrations called by the student group "Iam132" continue to before the elections denounced the candidate, the way the highly concentrated mass media openly promoted his candidacy and the possible return of the PRI. Most of the students who make up the movement have no real memory of living under a PRI government, since the conservative National Action Party (PAN) has held the presidency for the past twelve years. One young woman carried a sign that read, "We are the children of the ideals you never succeeded in killing".

Photo: Clayton Conn

They have done their history homework. In one of the first demonstration against Televisa, the giant television conglomerate accused of having sold favorable coverage to Peña Nieto as far back as 2009, students projected scenes from the PRI government's massacre of protesting students in 1968 and 1971 against the wall of the media giant's office building. The ruling elite that controlled a one-party system to perpetuate itself in power eternally is a legend they don't want to repeat.

An Ominous Response
The march was replicated in scores of cities across the country and by groups of #Yosoy132  in other countries. Unlike past marches, the July 22 marches met with a violent response from the government in various cities. In Leon, police picked up several protesters and drove them around for three hours, captive, before taking them into detention.

In Oaxaca City, state and federal police arrested and allegedly beat up youth protesters, sexually threatening and abusing the women.

Here is part of the statement from the #YoSoy132 movement:

We also demand the a full explanation of the physical and legal situation of the 24 young people arrested--including two minors, identified in the #YoSoy132 movement, who were arbitrarily imprisoned by state government officials in Oaxaca City. We call on the competent authorities to investigate the cases and clear their names. We request that the officials involved in the various violation of human rights be sanctioned for their acts.

We repudiate the unjustified or disproportionate use of force, arbitrary arrest, torture, just to mention a few, repression that denies freedom of expression and the free manifestation of ideas, as well as abuse of power, threats and harassment against members of social movements. We therefore demand these cases be cleared up and public officials brought to justice and that state and federal authorities prosecute cases of complaints related to these events.

 The violent and arbitrary response by police in these cities could be an ominous sign. The movement continues to insist on peaceful and non-confrontational tactics as it moves into a series of actions decided at the National Convention. The July 22 march was the first of those actions It showed that the movement still has a great ability to draw people into the streets for organized protests-- even weeks after elections that the media and political elite attempted to portray as an unassailable victory-- and among those protestors the rejection of the PRI candidate runs as strong as ever.

As for the second question--what are longer term strategies, beyond the action plan from here to Dec. 1--in all the enthusiasm of the march, I couldn't discern any. The people I talked to said for now, the focus is on consolidating the movement and making its voice here from now to the inauguration.

#IAM132 Statement on Today's Symbolic Occupation of Televisa

Note: I attended the National Convention in Atenco and the proposed protest of Televisa was the most controversial action adopted. The day after, many press outlets reported that the #IAm132 movement was splitting with the Convention due to disagreement with the Action Plan, especially the Televisa action. This was never true. The agreement always allowed for member organizations to carry out assemblies to decide if they would participate- and how they would participate- in all the activities. The #IAm132 Movement and most of the other organizations at the Convention operate on the basis of assemblies. This video (in Spanish)  is an excellent explanation of that form of organization. Because of those rumors, and because the protest against Televisa that begins tonight at 8:00 PM and continues all day tomorrow is the second important action after the July 22 march, we publish below the statement on the decision of the Mexico City assemblies to participate in a "peaceful, symbolic occupation" of Televisa, in keeping with the movement's commitment to non-violent action. Laura


YoSoy132. Original Americas Program Translation. The Convention against the Imposition held in San Salvador Atenco July 14-15 and called by the Front of Peoples in Defense of the Land and the #|Am132 Movement agreed on an action plan for mobilizations against the imposition of Enrique Peña Ñieto. Regarding this, the assemblies of the [Mexico City] metropolitican area declare:
1) Our assemblies met and assumed the agreements reached at the Convention as our own and announced the participation of our assemblies in the action to be carried out at Televisa.
2) by consensus, our assemblies decided that the action for Friday, July 27 in front of Televisa Chapultepec will be of a civil and peaceful nature as a human chain around the installations, maintaining the pacific principle of our movement.
3) This protest will be held to denounce the media chain's daily manipulation and especially in the past electoral process and of the role the company has played in the imposition of Enrique Peña Nieto.
4) This chain wil be held in coordination with the grassroots movements united at the Convention, headed by the Front of Peoples in Defense of the Land, the Electricians Union (SME), the Naitonal Coordinating Body of Education Workers (CNTE, among others.
5) We invite all citizens to support this initiative by gathering at 8:00 PM Thursday, July 26 at the Monument of the Revolution to march to Televisa Chapultepec and create the peaceful human chain that will last 24 hours. During the action of the chain there will be cultural and symbolic activities to demonstrate our rejection of the television monopoly, since the #IAm132 Movement recognizes the importance and legitimacy of culture as a form of resistance, protest, denouncement and struggle. We invite all communications media to cover the statement to the press we will release at 10 PM.
6) We demand guarantees to our constitutional rights of free assembly, considering that we are exercising an act of peaceful civil disobedience that does not attempt to enter the company's offices and will not use violence or aggression of any kind against any member of the company's personnel, since our struggle is against the media monopolies, de facto powers, the political power of the television network and not against its staff or public guards. For this reason, we will not block the exit of the building and it will be a peaceful chain, with our own bodies creating the links surrounding the television headquarters. We reject any attempt to criminalize our movement or any participant in the human chain.
7) We call on our organizations, collectives, movements, networks and citizens in general to respect and participate in this peaceful chain, avoiding any confrontation with the police or company security. In case of suffering any attack or provocation by consensus we have decided to NOT respond with violence but with peaceful civil resistance by sitting on the ground.  We announce that no one will march with a hooded head or covered face, nor will it be allowed to carry objects or any type of arms that could present risks to the action. Of course, no one will be able to participate under the influence of drugs or alcohol. With this decision by consensus of all the assemblies of #IAm132 of the metropolitan area we maintain our unity.
8) We send greetings to the mobilizations that will be held throughout the country and respectful of their decisions of each state, city or school, however, we call on them to avoid any provocation in carrying out their demonstrations within the framework of the action plan against the imposition. We invite all citizens and organizations to join this effort that is of everyone.

ASSEMBLIES OF THE METROPOLITAN AREA OF #yosoy132
AND SOCIAL, CIVIL AND POPULAR ORGANIZATIONS, UNIONS,PARTICIPANTS IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AGAINST THE IMPOSITION
Cd. De México, UIC Universidad InterContinental, Académicos UNAM, Universidad Iberoamericana, Facultad de Química, Colegio de México, Universidad Autónoma de Chapingo, Universidad del Anáhuac, Facultad d Ciencias, UAM – Xochimilco, Posgrados UNAM, Universidad La Salle- Neza, ITAM Río honda, ENAH,TEC Monterrey Cd. México, UACM Cuautepec, ENP – 9, Fac Odontología –UNAM, IPN – ESCATepepan, Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica, Facultad de Arquitectura, UACM CentroHistórico, Acampada Revolución, Instituto Mora, Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas, Yosoy132Nicolás Romero – Estado de México, CCH Oriente, Facultad dFilosofía y Letras, Prepa TEC CCM,Yosoy132 Internacional, FES Iztacala, UACM – Iztapalapa, Facultad de Psicología, CentroUniversitario de Educación Superior, UAM-Cuajimalpa, Facultad de Economía –UNAM, Movimientode Aspirantes a la Educación Superior, Escuela Nacional de Trabajo Social, UAM- I Posgrado, UNP,UPN, Prepa 2, UCSJ, Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria yZootecnia, FES CUAUTITLAN, DERECHO UNAM, Lasalle Prepa, Lasalle Cd México, Escuela Libre deDerecho, Facultad de Contaduría y Administración, UVM San Rafael , Académicos metropolitanos,CCH VALLEJO, Prepa 3, Prepa 5, UACM –Del Valle, LaSalle San Fernando, LaSalle DF, LaSalle Neza,Bachillerato 4, ITAM Sta. Teresa, FES ACATLÁN, UAM Azcapotzalco, Facultad de Filosofía y letras, Asamblea Zona Norte EdoMex., UVM indios verdes, CCH Azcapotzalco, FES Zaragoza.