Protest Against Mexican Government Held at Consulate

About 70 people marched outside the Mexican Consulate on Wednesday night to protest the government of Mexico and voice support for an Indian guerrilla movement in the southern part of the country.

The demonstrators called for the government of Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari to institute democratic reforms and help indigenous people in the southern state of Chiapas.

“Our demonstrating here, out of the country, is very valuable because it’s the only place we can do it and the Mexican government will begin to feel pressure from people all over the world,” said Jose M. Villanueva, 25, a mechanic from Santa Ana. He noted that similar demonstrations have been staged in San Francisco and other cities.

Demonstrators carried placards reading “Salinas--Traitor” while two dancers in feathered headdresses jumped to the beat of a bass drum in front of the consulate on North Broadway.

Inside, Consul General Felipe Soria Ayuso spoke to several Mexican demonstrators.

“The Mexican government has been taking steps toward reforms,” Soria told them. But one demonstrator responded, “While the people starve.”

Salinas faces growing political strife in Mexico following the rebellion by a group claiming to fight for indigenous rights in the impoverished south.

The guerrillas, calling themselves the Zapatista National Liberation Army, stormed several cities in the south on New Year’s Day. On Tuesday, Salinas’ government stepped up peace efforts with a call for a truce.

Former Mexico City Mayor Manuel Camacho Solis, recently appointed as peace negotiator, has suggested that the guerrillas could be recognized as a legitimate entity. The government must listen to them if they are to reach an end to the conflict, Camacho has said.