Mexican Teachers Say Rampage Necessary to Defend State's Sovereignty EFE
go to original April 25, 2013

Demonstrators destroy the offices of the Citizens Movement political party during a protest Wednesday in Chilpancingo, the capital of the southern Mexican state of Guerrero, against the education reforms implemented by the federal government. (EFE)

MEXICO CITY - The acts of vandalism by teachers during a rampage in Chilpancingo, the capital of the southern Mexican state of Guerrero, were justified by the need to defend the state's sovereignty from encroachment by the federal government, the CETEG education union said.

Thousands of teachers armed with clubs and pipes turned Chilpancingo into a war zone on Wednesday, attacking political party offices while police failed to appear and put an end to the rampage.

The teachers were joined in the violent protests by members of the state's community police organizations and people from other groups.

The demonstrators were protesting the educational reforms implemented by President Enrique Peña Nieto's administration.

"This is an expression of the Guerrero Popular Movement. It is a radical expression against the measures, this imposition that we also see as a form of authoritarian government, and that is also expressed in the local Congress," CETEG spokesman Minervino Moran told MVS radio.

The teachers in Guerrero are demanding the repeal of the educational reforms, which they contend violate their rights and lack public support.

Educators especially oppose standardized teacher evaluations, arguing that conditions are different in all of Mexico's states.

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