VZCZCXRO9315
RR RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHME #4292/01 2151337
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 031337Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2496
INFO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RHMFIUU/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RHMFIUU/CDR USNORTHCOM
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

73616
2006-08-03 13:37:00
06MEXICO4292
Embassy Mexico
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
06MEXICO4238
VZCZCXRO9315
RR RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHME #4292/01 2151337
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 031337Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2496
INFO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RHMFIUU/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RHMFIUU/CDR USNORTHCOM
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR MX
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MEXICO 004292 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR MX
SUBJECT: A VISIT TO THE PROTEST'S GROUND ZERO 
 REF: MEXICO 4238 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  On July 31 and August 2, Poloffs visited 
Mexico City's central square or Zocalo to observe ground zero 
in the ongoing protest of the supporters of PRD candidate 
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO).  Thousands of 
demonstrators were camped out in the Zocalo and on Juarez and 
Madero streets, as well as on Paseo de la Reforma, all major 
streets leading from the Zocalo.  Camps appeared to be well 
organized with about 100 supporters in each of the 31 
encampments (one for each state) within the Zocalo, with 
sixteen additional encampments (one for each Mexico City 
ward) along major roads, including Paseo de la Reforma. 
According to demonstrators, their goal is to keep the number 
of people in each camp stable until the Tribunal calls for a 
"vote-by-vote" recount.  Many are prepared to camp out for 
weeks, while others expect to be replaced by a fresh band of 
supporters every few days.  Most supporters indicated that if 
the Tribunal does not rule in their favor, they would wait 
for further direction from AMLO.  Overall, the environment in 
the Zocalo and on the blockaded streets was very much like 
that of a block party, with live music, street vendors 
selling food, and even chess tournaments taking place under 
tents.  Supporters emphasized that the protests would remain 
peaceful, but indicated that more forms of civil resistance 
might be forthcoming.  End Summary. 
 
A Visit to Ground Zero 
---------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On July 31, Poloffs visited "the Permanent 
Assembly" called for by AMLO in his July 30 speech (reftel). 
Most encampment activity appears to be concentrated in the 
Zocalo, followed by the nearby main street of Juarez.  The 
encampments were well-organized, grouping protesters 
representing states or civil society organizations, and a 
stream of large shuttle buses belonging to various state 
contingents surrounded the plaza.  In one area on the plaza, 
AMLO supporters had set up a stand where people could 
photocopy their voting credentials and submit them in a 
"symbolic urn" to demonstrate support for the PRD candidate. 
The general atmosphere of both the Zocalo and the blockaded 
streets seemed to be rather festive.  Vendors selling food, 
jewelry, and clothing, among other goods, were common.  Most 
demonstrators seemed to be enjoying themselves.  One tent 
near the Palacio de Bellas Artes even had a chess tournament 
under way. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Poloffs spoke to several groups camped out on the 
Zocalo -- including the Workers Party and supporters from 
Guerrero, Morelos, Tabasco, Hidalgo, Veracruz, Coahuila, 
Oaxaca, and Sonora.  Protesters discussed their reasons for 
coming and their expected length of stay.  With about 100 
people in each state camp, some said that they planned on 
staying for the "long-haul," while others said that they 
would leave once they were replaced by a fresh band of 
supporters -- with the goal of keeping camp numbers stable 
throughout the duration of the protest.  All camps agreed 
they would stay until the Tribunal reached a decision and/or 
until they receive instructions from AMLO on what to do next. 
 PRD supporters emphasized that the protests would remain 
peaceful and that no one wanted to provoke violence. 
 
Specific Comments 
----------------- 
 
¶4.  (U)  A young woman from Mexico City, who appeared to be a 
camp organizer, said that many of the people in her cadre, 
mostly from Mexico City and Cuernavaca, had come to protest 
what they viewed as irregularities at the polls.  She said 
many of her colleagues were concerned that President Bush 
appeared to be backing Calderon before he was declared 
President-elect.  An older woman from the state of Guerrero 
said she came to the Zocalo out of anger about alleged 
vote-buying in her local town, claiming the PAN was paying 
300 pesos per vote.  At the Tabasco camp, a young man 
commented that the Tabasco group's 100 participants planned 
to stay until the decision of the Tribunal.  In the event the 
court does not rule in their favor, they would wait for 
instructions from AMLO.  As for demonstrators from Coahuila, 
a Deputy from the state cited distrust in how IFE conducted 
the vote tallies as one of the reasons her contingent had 
come.  She also complained that the media had helped to 
manipulate the elections against the PRD.  She said she did 
not know what would happen if the Tribunal rejected AMLO,s 
call for a complete recount of the votes. 
 
MEXICO 00004292  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
A Follow-Up Visit 
----------------- 
 
¶5.  (U) Poloffs made a follow up visit on August 2 to 
reassess the situation in the Zocalo.  Compared to two days 
prior, the permanent encampment had become somewhat more 
organized, with many more tents spread across the plaza.  The 
crowd appeared about the same in number, if not smaller, as 
more tents had taken up space along the main plaza.  As on 
Paseo de la Reforma, many tents appeared to be sparsely 
populated.  The overall atmosphere was still festive, with 
music playing and street vendors selling their goods to the 
plaza's new tenants.  However, one noticeable change was that 
masked protesters had blockaded Pino Suarez, a street that 
branches out from the Zocalo.  In the tents themselves, it 
appeared the demonstrators had brought in everyday 
necessities, preparing to camp out for the foreseeable 
future.  A man helping to organize the Oaxaca camp said that 
his group, which he estimated at over 300 people, was 
prepared to stay until September 6, the day in which the 
Electoral Tribunal must certify the election and declare a 
winner.  Poloffs also spoke to three men from the Sonora 
state camp.  They had come because they believed that 
systematic fraud had occurred, and that the only way to 
restore the credibility of the electoral process was to carry 
out a complete recount as AMLO has demanded.  They believed 
more civil disobedience would take place if the Tribunal did 
not rule in AMLO's favor. 
 
Comment 
-------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) After speaking with demonstrators, it became clear 
that those who have decided to stay in the encampments are 
AMLO,s core supporters, and many repeated the same arguments 
as to why the election results needed to be protested.  In 
many cases, it seemed as if the demonstrators were simply 
repeating what they had been told during AMLO's "informative 
assemblies" over the previous weeks.  While the protests are 
causing serious disruption to Mexico City traffic and 
commerce, the protesters appeared sincere in their desire to 
maintain a peaceful, if not festive, resistance to what they 
and their candidate consider to be a fraudulent election. 
Most of the supporters appear prepared to stay until the 
decision of the Tribunal, unless AMLO instructs them 
otherwise. 
 
 
Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity 
 
GARZA