Protests are common in Mexico City. Last time I was there, teachers protested. Seems like teachers all over the world teacher are being attacked, unions accused, etc etc. We all worry that the airport will be closed down, or inaccessible when protests happen. At night, in my hotel room, I flipped through the TV channels. I always do this when I travel to try and see our commercials. Luckily I found the local news, 24 hora. My God! This is a real riot -- probably 30 miles away from where I was in Santa Fe. It was violent, lucky I was not near there. As usual it was a small faction of extremists making trouble.
I happened to be in the Philippines during the Zamboanga Muslim Rebel hostage situation. The rebels took the village hostage, people fled, chaos on TV, over 200 people killed. Seemed like the uprising was being broadcast live and I watched, glued to the TV to see what would happen.
TV is a good thing. How else would I know what is going on without the luxury of seeing it unfold on TV.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/28/world/asia/the-philippines-rebel-standoff-ends.html?_r=0
March turns violent
Anarchists and police clash during Oct. 2 massacre commemoration
THE NEWS
A march to commemorate the Oct. 2, 1968 massacre of students in Mexico City turned violent yesterday after an anarchist group threw missiles at police.
Members of Mexico City’s Secretariat of Security and Public Protection (SSPDF) monitoring the march were pelted with missiles, including stones, bottles and fireworks, at the intersection of Lázaro Cárdenas and Hidalgo avenues.
The march was held to honor victims of the 1968 massacre, when the federal government gave the Mexican Army an order to shoot protesters gathered in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas, in Mexico City’s Tlatelolco neighborhood.
As violence broke out, leaders urged people to continue, to separate the anarchist groups from the peaceful marchers.
The anarchists positioned themselves in front of police officers and began shouting insults, before attempting to break the police line to head toward the Zócalo square.
In a radio interview, Mexico City’s Interior Secretary Héctor Serrano said that approximately 200 members of anarchist groups called “Acampada Revolución” and “Bloque Oriente” were involved in the clashes.
Serrano said that Mexico City Mayor Miguel Ángel Mancera gave a specific order that all arrests be made at the time of clashes. He added that 99 percent of the marchers conducted themselves in a peaceful manner.
Latest available figures reported that 20 people were injured and 15 to 20 arrested.
The march was made up of diverse groups including students from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and other higher education institutes, as well as the National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE).
CNTE leaders said that their movement is peaceful and blamed today’s violence — and violence that has occurred during their previous demonstrations — on a group of infiltrators.
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