ASARO, Assembly of Revolutionary Artists of Oaxaca, formed at the end of October 2006, was part of this popular uprising. ASARO is a collective of printmakers, painters, stencil and graphic artists that has played an important role in the Democracy movement in Mexico. When the PFP, along with local police, attacked the movement on November 25, 2006, and arrested 300, murdered some, tortured others, disappeared others, etc., ASARO was the first group in the streets the next day, spray painting images of resistance. They produce extraordinary graphics that portray the people’s struggle and make their art available to all of the people of Mexico.
On June 14, 2006, the state police acting on the orders of the governor, Ulises Ortega Ruiz, attacked the encampment of the 70,000 member teachers’ union in the Zocalo in Oaxaca, Mexico. The teachers fought back accompanied by University students, other unions, and community organizations, and expelled the police from the Zocalo. From this date until October 28, 2006, when the Federal Preventive Police entered Oaxaca, the Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca (APPO) controlled the city of Oaxaca and many other areas in the state. They were motivated by issues of economic injustice, environmental degradation, and attacks on human rights.