WITCH-HUNT IN MEXICO
The escalation of the war in Vietnam by U.S. imperialism has aroused deep uneasiness in Mexico as in most other countries in the world, The indignation and fear became translated into an increasing number of demonstrations in the latter part of March. On April 6, students assembled in various parts of Mexico City, rather large groups appearing in some of the main streets like San Juan de Letrdn, Avenida Judrez, Pasé0 de la Reforma and Casco de Santo Toms,
The latter group swelled to some 2,000 students who carried placards with such slogans as "Vietnam sf? Yanquis No" and "Yanquis Fuera de Viétnam," [Vietnam Yes, Yankees "No; Yankees Get Out of Vietnam, |
- Alieging that a plan was afoot to bring the students together in front: of the American embassy, police detachments, wielding clubs, iron bars and chains, charged the students, breaking up the demon~ strations with unusual violence. They picked up many and hauled them away but released them without making any arrests.
In Mexico where the ‘constitutional right to organize assemblies and rallies has long been vigorously practiced by all political tendencies, the police violence aroused widespread protest.
The government answer came April 12. ‘Some 100 police "visited" the headquarters of the Partido Comunista Mexicano, the Central Campesina Independiente and the Frente Electoral del Pueblo [Mexican Communist party, Independent Peasant Federation, and’ People's Electoral Front |. They arrested thirty leaders and members of these organizations and hauled away an estimated 3,000 pounds of literature to be used as “evidence.'
> ..° Bhe motive given by the authorities for the raid was the continued efforts of these organizations to promote "disorder." This was held to be part of a "Communist plot."
The daily Mexican papers, which are unusually lurid, reported that nation-wide raids had occurred; but this was denied by govern= ment sources. From indications given by Excelsior, however, the | raids might well be the beginning of a nation-wide witch-hunt decided on by Mexico's new president, Gustavo Diaz Ordaz.
One of the pieces of “evidence seized by the police, said Excelsior [April 15], was a list of financial contributors for a campaign undertaken in Mexieo to protest against the intervention .in Vietnam, ' ;
“Excelsior also said that the Procuradurfa General de la Reptiblica was weighing reports on the activities of the Following organizations:
"Movimiento de Liberacién Nacional, Juventud del Partido Comunista Mexicano, Liga Obrera Marxista, Consejo de Coordinacién Sindical de la Linea Santa Julia, Partido Obrero Revolucionario, Partido Comunista Mexicano, Central de Estudiantes Democrdticos de la UNAM, Partido Popular Socialista, Frente Electoral del: Pueblo, Escuelas Rurales Normalistas, Movimiento Revolucionario del Pueblo Cubano, Comité Nacional de Mujeres, Uniédn Nacional de Mujeres Mexi-~ canas, Central Campesina Independiente, Magisterio en General del Partido Estudiantil Socialista, Consejo Nacional de Ferrocarrileros Vallegistas, Sociedad Mexicana de Amistad con China Popular, Organizationes de Acci6én Social Rural, Comité de Ayuda al Pueblo Espanol, Instituto de Intercambio Cultural Mexicano Ruso, Mexicano=Cubano y Mexicano~Checoslovaco, Liga de Servidores Leninistas del Pueblo, Comité de Ayuda a Paises Subdesarrollados, Unidad de Pensadores Libres and the Agrupacién Pacifista de Oriente.
This list extends from trade-union to peasant organizations, and includes all kinds of political tendencies from the Partido Popular Socialista of Vicente Lombardo Toledano, which supported the candidacy of Dfaz Ordaz, to the reformist Frente Electoral del Pueblo, which ran Ramén Danzés Palomino as an opposition candidate, to the Partido Obrero Revolucionario which adheres to the ultra-leftist Latin-American Posadas grouping. The Trotskyist Liga Obrera Marx= ista, which is affiliated to the Fourth International, is also
included in this sweeping list.
The charge that such disparate organizations were involved in a "conspiracy* is, of course, absurd, Such a charge is itself evidence that the Diaz Ordaz government is. experimenting with the methods of McCarthyism. What are the reasons?
The biweekly Mexico City magazine Polftica [April 15] pointed to the most likely explanation. In an open letter to the president, Editor Manuel Marcué Pardinas charged:
"Tt is affirmed, in the first place, that the country's financial situation is difficult; it may even be impossible to find a way out if new credits cannot be obtained from North America to meet the obligations that are now due. It is affirmed by those who hold this view that credits are now being processed in North America and that the repressive acts referred to in this letter constitute a way ~~ certainly not an honorable one -- to demonstrate solidarity with the government of the U.S. in carrying out genocide in Vietnam, so that, in fair payment, the credits will be granted....
“In the second place, sources connected with the State Department affirm that the conviction exists there that your government will break with Cuba ‘without injury to Mexican nationalism,'t by eliminating all possible opposition in advance, According to. this, the current repression constitutes the first step toward neutralizing ~- with the weapons of slander, vile anonymous charges, the jails or terror -- all those who might be in disagreement with a break in our foreign policy, and discrediting them in the public mind with the tall tale about 'serving foreign interests.'"
In face of this grave charge Dfas ordaz remained silent.