The origin of the conflict generated by the people who seized the Rectory Tower [administrative offices] of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), which was "marked by violence", lacked academic proposals, according to a statment issued by the university yesterday.
The statement points out that, by contrast, their demands were based on issues unrelated to the review of plans and curricula of the College of Sciences and Humanities (CCH) [high school division of the university], which was a topic that has "only been a pretext used by an unrepresentative minority group."
University officials released a document that recounts the events that began with violent acts on the CCH campus in Naucalpan [in the nearby state of Mexico] in early February, and included seizing the administrative offices of CCH on UNAM's main campus [in Mexico city] and, later, the Rectory.
Given these facts, it emphasizes, the university filed complaints with federal and state authorities for illegal behavior such as aggression and injuries to university students, which have jeopardized the integrity of the community, breaking and damaging facilities, and the removal of equipment and other objects, property belonging to both employees and the university.
When university authorities recovered the Rectory Tower, the document emphasizes
"there was evidence of unconscionable acts of violence, looting and vulgar and vile behavior against university and employees' property on various floors."While authorities add that they have finished collating an inventory and determined the amount of damages, they did not detail the value of the losses. This account of events was released just one day before the meeting called for this afternoon in the courtyard of the Rectory by the group which, for 12 days and with their faces covered, occupied the building.
The text repeats the offer of dialogue by university authorities. It notes that the proposed dialogues were to be carried out between May and June, with a concluding session in August, while the protesters demanded that they take place in August and September [when the students return from summer vacation].
It is emphasized that the breakdown in negotiations occurred during the fourth planning meeting on May 16 (which was intended to establish the basis for the negotiations), when those waiting for the representative committee of the protesters stormed the offices where talks were developed.
"The attitude of these people is not understood. When they decided to violently seize the rectory facilities, they demanded a dialogue, (but) in response to the proposal of the institution to realize this in a quick, comprehensive and public manner, they avoided it, seeking for the sessions to be extended until September. Their posture, at its base, denotes a contradictory attitude: they demand dialogue, but don't carry it out."The group of protesters, the UNAM adds, say that they aim to encourage community participation, but they do not recognize those who have already participated in discussions of the process of updating the CCH curricula, plus they intend to be the "sole interlocutor" in the dialogue.
"Their actions demonstrate delaying tactics for purposes other than a genuine debate on updating the school curriculum. Without doubt, what they are attempting to do is to find justification for generating a mobilization based on causes unrelated to student life."
The university emphasizes that even with the recurrent demonstrations of intransigence from this group, it will continue a process of broad and inclusive discussion of the plans and programs of study of the CCH, which will end in November. Spanish original