October 2nd in Mexico: 39 years after theTlatelolco Massacre

October 2nd is the anniversary of the 1968 student massacre in Mexico City on the eve of the Olympics. Hundreds of students were killed and many more disappeared. The massacre was the governments response to a radical student movement which had been confronting the government. In the days preceding the massacre 15,000 students from various universities marched through the streets of Mexico City, to protest the army's occupation of the university campus. That night 5,000 students and workers, many of them with spouses and children, had congregated outside an apartment complex in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in Tlatelolco for what was supposed to be a peaceful rally. Among their chants were ¡No queremos olimpiadas, queremos revolución! ("We don't want Olympic games, we want revolution!").

The massacre began at sunset when police and military forces — equipped with armored cars and tanks — surrounded the square and began firing live rounds into the crowd. Read More.

Every year the massacre is remembered with marches and actions throughout the city often ending with police violence. See video of this years march.