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For a year, the teachers have built up the Radio Plantón
station, over which they denounce the misdeeds of URO’s government. For
that reason, one of the primary objectives of the June 14 repression was
to destroy this station. On June 14 itself, the Oaxaca university radio
station was taken over by students who sympathized with the teachers.
Since that day, Radio Universidad has become a place where people can get
things off their chests and denounce URO’s regime.
On Aug. 1, APPO sympathizers marched
through the center of the city, and it occurred to some of them to take
over the state-controlled media. For the first time the state TV channel
became really the “The Oaxaquenos’ TV station,” as its slogan claimed.
Indigenous people, housewives, peasant organizations persecuted by the
regime appeared on the screen.
Moreover, it broadcast programs about the
repression in Atenco, the Cuban Revolution, the exploitation of workers
and peasants in various parts of the world, the Oaxaca mass marches,
Fox’s world.
In addition, on FM, the state radio station
became Radio Cacerola [Pots and Pans Radio], the voice of the women of
Oaxaca. This lasted for 20 days until the government’s thugs attacked the
transmission antenna and destroyed the installations. But this did not
silence the people’s voice. On Aug. 21, all the commercial stations were
taken over, although they were later gradually restored to their owners.
In September, APPO controlled four
stations, and they became important organizers of the uprising. In the
last two weeks, APPO, however, has left the commercial stations, because
their signals have been jammed.
Radio Universidad was also attacked, once
by an armed commando unit and the other time by an infiltrator, who
poured acid on a console, putting it out of commission for a week.
Yesterday, the commercial radio stations disappeared from the air and we
were left with only two stations—Radio Universidad, the bulwark of APPO,
and a new clearly anti-government pirate station.
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