in may 2006, teachers in the state of Oaxaca launched a strike to protest
inadequate resources for schools and educators. The response from authorities
was harsh, with at least 90 people injured by police.

In response, community members and local radio stations rallied to form
APPO, the Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca.

The APPO organized people’s assemblies and effectively took control of the
city. Observers likened the movement to the Paris commune, and some hailed
it as the first popular revolt of the 21st century.

City streets were lined with barricades. According to the documentary
A little bit of such truth, around a thousand barricades were erected
nightly for over two months.

The teachers also brought their demands to Mexico‘s capital, with some
staging a hunger strike to demand respect and the resignation of the
Oaxacan state governor.

The response from police and armed individuals was severe, marked by
repression, attacks, disappearances, and killings.

Among the fatalities was Brad Will, a US documentary filmmaker and independent
media activist, who was shot while filming a protest on October 27, 2006.

The following month, federal police surrounded the APPO encampment, arresting
hundreds. Many were subjected to torture, and some disappeared.

Human rights defender Aline Castellanos Jurado described the atmosphere as
“a really repressive environment,” where residents constantly feared raids,
disappearances, and the treatment of detainees.

Hundreds of arrest warrants were issued, forcing many into hiding or exile.

By the end of 2006, the local government had largely suppressed the
resistance.

However,the spirit of the movement persisted,inspiring others both in
Mexico and abroad. Within a decade, Oaxacan teachers were once again in the
streets, organizing, protesting, and advocating for their right to teach and
for their students’ right to education.

Their resistance was rooted in the belief in the people’s right to learn and
the teachers’ right to fair compensation and respect.

The 2006 teachers’ strike in Oaxaca evolved into a widespread movement
involving people’s assemblies, barricades, and the occupation of radio
stations by teachers, housewives, Indigenous organizers, health workers, and
students.

The Fight for Education

The events in Oaxaca highlight the ongoing struggle for educational equity
and teachers’ rights in Mexico. The movement’s legacy continues to inspire
activists and educators fighting for social justice.

“It was a really repressive environment…You never knew if they would raid
your home. Or where the disappeared were.”