Drumming, singing, and chanting among friends, strangers, and Mexican expats were not the only sights at the mobilization outside Univision’s San Francisco office on July 27.
A steady flow of honking horns, power-fists and cheering from passing cars and critical mass cyclists synced smoothly with the Mexican Yo Soy 132 solidarity movement, which ignited in May in the midst of Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Enrique Peña Nieto’s presidential campaign.
The protests are to bring awareness to the Mexican community and the bias coverage of the presidential elections through Univision and TV Azteca.
“Televisa is the PRI in Mexico. They have been supporters of the PRI as long as the PRI has been there,” explained Lydia Neri, a first-time participant born in Mexico City.
The PRI was in power of the country for over seven decades, in which many alleged electoral frauds followed its name, including the most recent allegations of vote-rigging, money laundering, overspending for campaign, and purchasing votes through pre-paid debit cards.
“It’s just been waiting to happen,” said union organizer Colin O’Leary. “This runs through the conscience of everyone who’s Mexican,” he added.
During Peña Nieto’s campaign at the Ibero-American University in Mexico City, the former governor of the state of Mexico faced strong disapproval from students who claimed human rights violations against the people of San Salvador Atenco in 2006 during his governorship.
The PRI later accused the 131 students of being agitators brought in by opposing parties. In response, students who were in attendance at the University verified their status as students by individually displaying their student IDs in a YouTube video that went viral.
From this point on, the Mexican population became the symbolic 132nd student, birthing the Yo Soy 132 movement. Since then, worldwide demonstrations have manifested the spirit of Mexico’s response to Peña Nieto.
“The media shows this sweet man [Peña Nieto], kind of handsome with this actress who is the most famous actress in Mexico. There are many demonstrations in Mexico every single day and in many cities not just in Mexico City and they are big. Nobody shows that,” Neri said. “There’s a lot of suspicion that the money comes from drug cartels, or from pre-existing governments, so nobody knows where this money comes from.”
Yo Soy 132 Bay Area supporters have held three mega marches, two in San Francisco and one in San Jose, their last march on July 22 rounded up to 500 attendees.
Supporter Veronica Solis said the Yo Soy 132 Bay Area movement organizes through social media. They utilize YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter because it is “more reliable than any other established media.”
“Mexican people have not elected this man … The last six years while Enrique Pena Nieto was Governor there was so much violence, we know, over 70,000 deaths … it is disappointing that we hear about Egypt, Syria, Libya but no word on Mexican movement,” Solis said.
After the July 2 announcement of Peña Nieto defeating Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Peña Nieto is now under legal investigation by Mexico’s Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary for fraud claims. The Tribunal has until Sept. 6 to give a verdict.
For more information please contact: Yosoy132bayarea@gmail.com