Mexican Teachers Say Gov't Ultimatum Precursor to Repression

The CNTE teachers union warned the public that they believe the Mexican government is laying the groundwork for another round of repression after the minister in charge of negotiations said that the government would “shortly” take action to end protests.

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Interior Minister Osorio Chong said Friday that “time had run out” and that the government intended to clear highways presently being blockaded as part of a series of protest actions by the CNTE against the government's controversial education reform.

"The impact on citizens must end. Necessary decisions will be taken shortly to allow for the movement in strategic highways and for supplies to reach communities,"  Chong told reporters.

The interior minster justified his position by arguing that “citizens were caught in the middle of this conflict” and they had been “hurt and harmed” as a result. 

However the casualties borne out of the conflict between teachers and the government have come at the hands of state security forces, which recently used live ammunition against demonstrators in the town of Nochixtlan, Oaxaca, leading to the deaths of at least nine people.

Chong said the teachers would need to end street blockades before dialogue could continue. The temporary closure of roads and highways is a common protest tactic in Mexico.

The CNTE warned that government's ultimatum was "paving the path for escalating repression, shifting public opinion with false information about the need to ensure food and fuel for the population, even if they will need to do so with force.”

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The leadership of the CNTE and Minister Chong have held two dialogue sessions, though neither has been able to produce a breakthrough. 

The union is fiercely opposed to the reform, arguing that it was imposed on them and fails to address issues in Mexico's education system.

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto said his education reform is not up for debate. 

The National Human Rights Commission has called on parties to return to the negotiating table. A date for another round of talks has not yet been set.