After a few days of calm in Oaxaca, things heated up again on Thursday. The Federal Preventive Police (PFP) were sent over to an area south of the center of town called Cinco Senores, which is near one of the major shopping centers, Plaza del Valle, and is also near the University campus. Universities in Mexico have a proud tradition of being autonomous, so the idea of the PFP entering the University was truly alarming. University students and faculty have been strongly supportive of APPO. The University radio station was taken over by APPO early on and has been used as their primary means of communication for several months. The people on Radio Universidad put out distress calls to all their listeners, telling them that the PFP was attacking the University. They reported tear gas being thrown, gates being attacked, and water being sprayed from the PFP’s trucks at students. The broadcasters called for all APPO supporters and all University students to come to the defense of the University, to put their bodies on the barricades, to prevent at all costs the water supply trucks from getting through, to bring gasoline and diesel and vaseline and vinegar-soaked rags and empty water bottles (to be made into Molotov cocktails), etc. The Rector of the University was reported to be standing before the University gates with his arms outspread, blocking the PFP from entering. An ex-governor of the state of Oaxaca, who is also a former member of the University, was heard on the radio imploring President Fox to call off the PFP, not to let them enter the University’s gates. These were dramatic moments, with APPO supporters calling in on their cell phones to give desperate, live reports on the radio about the attack. APPO supporters and students responded in droves, and a battle went on for about 5 hours. Amazingly, APPO overcame the PFP. They hurled rocks and gasoline bombs and bombs filled with nails, and managed to keep the PFP at bay. The PFP, meanwhile, were clearly under orders not to escalate the fight and not to engage. They maintained discipline, and when it was apparent that they were going to get hurt while being unable to retaliate, they were ordered to withdraw. There were injuries on both sides, and some journalists were injured as well (from APPO’s nail bombs). The PFP commander said afterward that they had never had the intention of entering the University; they were just there to open the crossroads at Cinco Senores which had been blocked off by APPO barricades.

Buoyed up by their “victory,” APPO has called for a massive march on Sunday. Rumor has it that people are coming in from neighboring states to show their support with APPO. We will see what tomorrow brings.

We still hear the occasional helicopter, but the PFP seems to be using some kind of spy plane now – we have been seeing a skinny airplane with very long wings flying slowly over Oaxaca for the last couple of days. It looks kind of like a glider. Evidently this is better technology because it can stay in the air longer than a helicopter and is a lot less obvious.

The Zocalo is still full of the PFP, and the off-duty troops can be seen buying things in local stores, going into places that offer free tastes of mezcal, playing those brightly-lit games where you put in some money and maybe a bunny or some other stuffed animal drops out, lining up for port-a-potties or for meals being served to them from field kitchens, etc. We heard from a hotel-owner friend that the PFP is looking for 3000 hotel rooms for 4 months, or maybe it was 4000 hotel rooms for 3 months …either way, it looks like they will be here for a while. And we’re waiting for the other APPO shoe to drop.