A march in Mexico in November, 2014. Photo by Saul Ruiz.
Today, September 26, is the first anniversary of the disappearance and subsequent massacre of 43 students of the Escuela Normal Rural Raúl Isidro Burgos in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero.
Here's is a summary of recent developments, written by Maria Verza, and published by El Daily Post: On the anniversary of the 43, a reminder: There were 49
Stories from the New York Times: Mexicans March on Anniversary of 43 Students' Disappearance
Against Odds, Seeking Hope for Mexican Students Who Vanished a Year Ago, by Paulina Villegas
And here is my translation of an article from El Pais by Priscila Navarrete: El apoyo de las redes sociales en el ‘caso Ayotzinapa’. All links are to pages in Spanish.
After they began to know the details about the disappearance of the 43 students in Iguala on September 26, 2014, social networks functioned as spokespeople for the demands of justice by parents and society. Relatives of the victims were organized for mass marches in Mexico City, also supported from abroad.
October 8, 2014. The streets of Mexico City, with the missing “normalistas”
Thousands of Mexicans took to the streets 12 days after the disappearance. The demonstration went around the the Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City. Similar protests also took place on that day in the rest of the country and in some of the world's major cities. In Chiapas, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) walked in silence.
November 5, 2014. #AccionGlobalporAyotzinapa
Mexicans gathered for the third time. Thousands of citizens joined in several cities worldwide. In addition, public and private universities in Mexico announced a strike of 72 hours to enable joining the demonstrations. Social networks again served as a tool organize protests at Mexican embassies and consulates around the world.
November 7-8 2014. #YaMeCansé
On the evening of November 7, the then Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam, gave a press conference which reported that the 43 missing students had been killed. Spontaneously, and through social networks, a spontaneous vigil convened outside of his office.
Near the end of the press conference, one reporter insisted on asking one last question on the topic. Karam said "I'm tired" . That response set off worldwide outrage, and appeared on banners at subsequent protests. The hashtag #YaMeCansé was a trending topic for Mexico for 26 days.
A night march took place south the the Mexico City Zocalo on Saturday, November 8. A group of people set fire to the door of the National Palace. The authorities made several arbitrary arrests which were reported on Twitter and Facebook. This resulted in pressured to release those who had nothing to do with the violence.
November 20 2014. #20NovMX
On the anniversary of the Mexican Revolution, there was a call for a national strike and demonstrations. The main march was organized to coincide with the arrival of the parents of the 43 students in the capital, who had traveled across the country for several days.
After arbitrary arrests by the police, the social networks made recommendations on security and the rights that demonstrators have when arrested.
The protesters burned a picture of President Enrique Peña Nieto when they arrived at the Zocalo. This was one of the most emblematic images of the movement. A photograph taken from above show the large number of people who gathered in the city center.
January 26 2015. The first event of the year
On January 26, the call went out for the first march of the year on the four month anniversary of the disappearance of students. Facebook and Twitter documented the event from the start to the arrival at the Zocalo, where the parents of the missing students had a message demanding justice.
Students of public and private universities joined in. So did religious groups. People in cities such as Madrid, New York, London, and Brussels supported the cause through Twitter.
September 26 2015. A year after #Ayotz1napa
September 26, the first anniversary of the attack of the 43 students in Iguala, many different events were organized on social networks. The first was a 43-hour fast for the parents of the students in the Zocalo of Mexico City. It began on September at 23.
The September 26 march will depart from Los Pinos, the President's residence, to the Zocalo. Twitter and Facebook will again be tools for the demand for justice and to document the marches on the anniversary of the darkest night of Mexico.