jury trial begins this week for four of the ‘foxy six’ protesters facing felony charges

by Tim Phillips

On November 14, 2012, between 50 and 100 people gathered in Pasadena, California, to protest against the former President of Mexico, Vicente Fox. Officers rushed into the crowd and violently arrested several of the protesters. Today’s Huffington Post article by Nathan Robinson explains the protest’s origin:

The action arose as part of the “Worldwide Echo” campaign against the Mexican government’s militarization and crackdown against Zapatista communities in the Chiapas region, and specifically Fox’s role in protecting those responsible for the brutal 1997 Acteal Massacre in which 45 Christian pacifists were murdered. (The people of Chiapas have long been engaged in a quite beautiful struggle for dignity and self-rule, and have been consistently met with fierce hostility from the state in response.)

Some of the protesters were punched, choked, or slammed to the ground (or against police cars). Six, dubbed the Foxy 6, were charged with felony resisting arrest and misdemeanor battery on an officer. Two of the six had their charges reduced to jaywalking and entered pleas, but the remaining four are scheduled to go on trial this week.