Detentions on both sides of the protest

A first hand account of some of the events at the protest, recorded from behind police lines. Includes:

--the audio from the capture of a police officer during the protest

--about the two mexican independent journalists who were detained behind police lines, one of them from Indymedia, the other just asking questions.

The protest of at least 5,000 people arrived at the first blockade, the red metal fence separating the town of Cancun with the Hotel Zone; the protesters overturned the fence but it remained tied to concrete blocks. A line of riot police blocked an opening in the fence and this is where the biggest attempt to break through occured. Protesters dismantled parts of the fence and concrete blocks, brought them to the back, eventually to be thrown--protesters threw hundreds of objects at the police. Protesters on the front line used long sticks to hit the helmets of the police. After nearly losing their line, the police launched a counter attack on the protesters throwing at least 30 rocks.

[ ]

At another point a riot police officer on the front line was captured by the protesters and dragged into the protest near the fence. Some in the protest beat him up, removed his helmet, and put him into a headlock, pressing up against the fence as they struggled. Others in the protest tried to pull them apart. Eventually, members of Via Campesina, the group of peasant farmers that organized the march, pulled him away and pushed him back into the police line. Soon after a short woman riot police officer not on the police line, picked up a rock, walked up to the police line from the back, and threw a direct hit at the head of a protester 10 feet away. Several people on both sides were injured, and several journalists were injured by rocks. The police brought in Armoured Personal Carriers with water cannons and video cameras, this escalted the pressure by the protesters on the police line, and the police moved the APCs back. Not all of the attempts to break the police line involved rocks and sticks. Via Campesina had been negotiating with the police, and a contingent of Korean farmers, also members of Via Campesina walked toward the opening with their open hands in the air, palms forward fingers spread--they were beaten back with batons and shields. One of the Korenas, a 50 year old climbed up onto the fence and waved a flag saying "WTO kills farmers." A minute later he stabbed himslef and later died at the hospital. Soon afterward Via Campesina gave speeches and the protests moved away from the blockade. The speakers spoke directly to the security personal and riot police, and many of them were obvisouly listening.

Throughout this, on the police side of the blockade three people were detained and released after being surrounded by interested journalists. One of these, named Juan, is a Mexican from Cancun, he sat on the grass under a tree and chatted with journalists while a quiet Federale stood above him,

[ ]

Another Mexican, a photograher with Indymedia.org, climbed up onto a billboard overlooking the whole scene to join several other photographers. I watched the events from below, while Evan, who is also part of Indymedia.org watched from the top of the billboard:

[ ]

The officer below used his baton to hit his legs, journalists from below assumed he was an activst and shouted "periodistas"--spanish for journalists.

[ ]

then the officer, who had climbed up to the top, became inpatient and delivered a strong blow to his back, at which point, he turned and spoke directly to the officer, face to face, holding onto the scaffolding.

[ ]

Thatcher Collins in Cancun for KPFK