Corpus Christi massacre

The Normal Station Metro in Mexico City was the scene of The Halconazo name that is given to the Corpus Thursday Massacre in 1971 in Mexico City.

The Corpus Christi Massacre, Corpus Christi Thursday Massacre (or El Halconazo because of the participation of a group of elite Mexican army men known as Los Halcones) is the name given gives the events in Mexico City on June 10, 1971; the day of the Corpus Christi festival. It became the colloquial name for the massacre when a student demonstration in support of students of Monterrey was violently suppressed by a paramilitary group for the government called Los Halcones. President Luis Echeverría Álvarez, broke away from the facts, but never clarified the situation was always officially denied. No one was ever blamed for the bloody events, let alone been brought to justice.

Background

From his earliest days in office, President Luis Echeverría Álvarez announced reforms to democracy in the country. Immediately allowed the return of some leaders of the 1968 student movement in exile in Chile and the release of many other prisoners for two years (in April 1971 the press spoke of reforms in education coming and soon resurfaced in the political arena characters like José Revueltas and Heberto Castillo, jailed two and a half years ago). The students were excited and thought they would have opportunities to return to the streets to demonstrate against the government. The conflict in the University of Nuevo León gave them a reason to do so: At the end of 1970 teachers and university students had a basic law that proposed a joint government in March 1971 and came to Héctor Ulises rectory under the new law. The state government, disagreed, slashed the budget, which angered the university, and forced the University Council to pass a new bill that virtually abolished the autonomy of the institution. The university went on strike and called for solidarity with other universities. The National Autonomous University of Mexico and National Polytechnic Institute immediately responded and the students called for a mass demonstration in support of Nuevo León on June 10.

On May 30 the governor of Nuevo León, Eduardo A. Elizondo Lozano, resigned as part of the settlement of the Ministry of Education and on June 5 came into force a new organic law that resolved the conflict . Students , nevertheless, decided to march, even if the demands were not clear (the committee coordinating committee control-CoCo-was divided, there were those who thought that the march was useless and would only provoke the government, however, most people supported it, arguing that there were many unresolved problems). It was called from 500 miles of territorial sea to be effective in promised democratic opening Echeverría. It was also an opportunity for the government to show that it would not be as repressive as before. Days before the demonstration, many police vehicles and cars started making regular runs near the Casco de Santo Tomás, one of the IPN's main campus.^[1]

June 10

The march would start at the Casco de Santo Tomás, then through Carpio and Maestros Avenues to go on the Mexico-Tacuba Causeway to finally go to the Zócalo. The streets leading to the Maestros Avenue were blocked by police officers and riot policemen, who did not allow the students to pass. Also, there were also tankettes parked along Melchor Ocampo avenue, military transports, which were located near the military school and riot police trucks in a huge police contingent at the intersection of the Melchor Ocampo and San Cosme avenues. A shock group trained by the Federal Security Directorate and the CIA,^[1] known as "los Halcones", who came in gray trucks and vans and riot trucks brutally attacked students from streets near the Maestros Avenue after the riot police opened their blockade. The shock group first attacked with bamboo and kendo sticks, so they were easily repelled by the students. In a counterattack, Los Halcones attacked the students again, this time, not only with their weapons, but also with high-caliber rifles. Students, meanwhile, tried in vain to hide from the armed youths. The police did not intervene because they had orders to do so and remained a spectator allowing the slaughter. The shooting lasted for several minutes, during which some cars gave logistical support to the paramilitary group, endowing him with weapons and makeshift transports, such as civilian cars, vans, police vehicles and even an ambulance from the Green Cross. The injured were taken to the general hospital Rubén Leñero, but to no avail, as the Halcones reached the hospital and there gave the youngsters, many still in the operating room, the coup de gráce and took the opportunity to scare the inmates. The death toll was close to 120, between them a boy fourteen years old: Jorge Callejas Contreras.^[1]

That night army elements guarded the National Palace and then-President Luis Echeverría announced an investigation into the killing and said he would punish the guilty.^[1] Alfonso Martinez Dominguez, ruler of the city, and Julio Sanchez Vargas, attorney general, denied that there were Halcones and police chiefs blamed the students to have created extremist groups within his own movement, which ultimately would have attacked their peers. He spent a week until Escobar had to accept that there were Halcones, but they were not involved in the massacre. Martinez Dominguez tendered his resignation on June 15 to Echeverría because he was convinced that the protesters had been provoked, among other things, that the government had an excuse and get rid of him. Still, for years, Martinez Dominguez was given the popular nickname of "Halconzo" referring to the Corpus Thursday Massacre.

That same night Luis Echeverría announced an investigation into the killing and said he would punish the guilty. Alfonso Martinez Dominguez, then-Mexico City governor, and Julio Sanchez Vargas, attorney general, denied that the existence of the Halcones and police chiefs blamed the students to have created extremist groups within its own movement, which ultimately would have attacked their peers. He spent a week until Escobar had to accept that the paramilitary unit existed, but he was not involved in the massacre. Martinez Dominguez tendered his resignation on June 15 to Echeverría and he was convinced that the protesters had been provoked and, among other things, that the government had an excuse to get rid of him. With all of this, Martínez Dominguez received the popular motto of "Don Halconzo" (since he was formally known as "Don Alfonso") as an allusion to the massacre.

The terrible result of the demonstration discouraged many students, but also led others to be radicalized, who later formed part of the urban guerrilla organizations. Students in 1971 demanded especially the democratization of education, control of the university budget by students and teachers and that it represented 12% of the GDP, as well as political freedom where workers, peasants, students and intellectuals shall enjoy real democratic freedoms and controlled the social system, quality education for all, especially for farmers and workers, and greater importance and respect for cultural diversity; Strict democratic opening, support for the political union of the workers and to the repression by the government. These and other expressions of opposition years begin to be channeled through Political Reform of 1977, driven by José López Portillo from the bowels of the scheme and ending with the reason for the guerrillas and the political underground.

Los Halcones

Los Halcones was a paramilitary group of men that were trained in the United States created in the late 60's to repress demonstrations and prevent another large popular movement as was the student movement of 1968 to rise again. Their first attack against the students was on October 2, 1969, a year after the Tlatelolco Massacre.^[2] Their initial duty (as told to the public, who was not aware of their name nor their real purpose for that matter, by the government) was that there was going to be a police group that ensured the security on the recently inaugurated Metro. The members of Los Halcones were identified with nicknames and its members were very varied. The youngest came from sports clubs. Other men were policemen, thugs for hire,^[3] "porros" (provocateurs created to counter and watch the left-leaning students. After the Halconazo, their number increased exponentially in the UNAM and IPN); militaries, which were referred to with the nickname of "maestros" (teachers) or "paisanos" (countrymen), who had at their command dozens of "halcones" and the vast majority were "veterans" of the Tlatelolco massacre; and gang members and criminals. These latter were released from jail after the government agreed to free them under the condition that they formed part of the new shock group with good payments.^[4]

Legal Case

In 2005 is discussed in Mexico whether the crimes committed in this event have expired or even whether they can be judged responsible, because for some the responsibility of Echeverría was never resolved because he was protected by law.

On November 29, 2006, Luis Echeverría Álvarez pleads guilty and for these facts he is put on house arrest, reversing the decision of July 8 stating prescribed for genocide crimes.

In 2009 Luis Echeverria is relieved to find no sufficient evidence against him.

Movie

Gabriel Retes produces, directs and acts a movie called "El Bulto". His character, Lauro, is a photojournalist for a newspaper that covered the time the demonstration was suppressed when he got hit by a member of Los Halcones, leaving him in a coma for twenty years.

See also

• Tlatelolco Massacre
• Dirty War (Mexico)
• List of massacres in Mexico

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Canal 6 de Julio, Halcones: State Terrorism
2. ^ Escrito con Sangre http://cmcorpkillers.blogspot.com/2008/09/el-movimiento-estudiantil-de-1968-y-la.html?zx=ff414c4ba505b6fd
3. ^ http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB91/ National Security Archive
4. ^ Canal 6 de Julio, Halcones, State Terrorism

Coordinates: 19°26′40″N 99°10′03″W / 19.44444°N 99.1675°W / 19.44444; -99.1675