Police end strike at university in Mexico City
The nine month sit-in at the
National Autonomous University
of Mexico has ended as more
than 2200 police tore down barricades, took possession of the
main campus in Mexico City, and
arrested 632 students. The university is Latin America's largest
educational institution, with a
population of 270 000, and the
site of Mexico's leading medical
and law schools. The students'
prolonged strike started in
response to plans to increase fees
from a nominal payment of
around two US cents to US$70
(£43). This month's police action
came a week after hundreds of
students, angry at the disruption
of lectures and opposed to the
closure enforced by fellow students, stormed a building off
campus with the aid of university
security guards. Altogether 251
people were detained on that
occasion, at least 37 were injured,
and according to reports one student was killed.
The university has a history of
bloodshed. In October 1968,
hundreds of Mexican students
were massacred by the police at a
peaceful prodemocracy rally in
Mexico City. The end to the
recent standoff was much less
violent, with no reported injuries.
Pictures of the dawn raid were
later broadcast on Mexican television and showed policemen
herding the unprepared students
onto buses, meeting with no
apparent resistance The government, with the memories of 1968
still fresh, has until now been
unwilling to use force, and has
encouraged the university to
accede to the demands of the
strikers, who dubbed themselves
the "mega-ultras."
Mexican law forbids police
from entering university
grounds, but the apparent staff
and student frustration at the
loss of an academic year means
public outcry may be much less
than expected. Ninety per cent
of university students voted at
the beginning of February to
end the strike, but about 1000
students persisted with the sit in.
Some 75 of the arrested students have now been let out on
bail, but up to 35 of the strike
leaders are considered by the
police to pose a danger to society. If convicted of terrorism,
they may face up to 40 years in
jail. Charges of trespass, theft,
and damage to public property
are also being pressed, although
a part amnesty has been offered
to some students. Relatives and
friends of the students still being
detained are staging protests
around Mexico City, and are
demanding "freedom for the
political prisoners."
Ernesto Zedillo, Mexico's
president, gave a national
address after the successful raid
at the university and said that it
was with great sadness that he
had ordered the police action.
He added: "I am sure that the
national university will emerge
strengthened, with new ideas and
projects to benefit Mexico."
Others disagree with the
President, however. Jorge Castenada, a political analyst, thinks
the police intervention may back
fire on the government. "There
is going to be a lot of fallout
from this," he said, continuing
"the tendency will be to let [the
university] rot away."
Sian Knight studentBMJ
studentBMJ 2000;08:45-88 March ISSN 0966-6494
