So You Wanna Be A Protester? Get Your Training In Mexico City

In preparation for the impending decisions about privatizing Mexico’s state-owned oil company, PEMEX, protest groups are actually holding public classes on how to look cool while rioting. No, seriously, followers of past presidential nominee Andrés Manuel López Obrador, (who supports PEMEX remaining a public, state company) are taking to the streets to teach the basics of protest. The Senate Energy Commitee is meeting this week to discuss changes that could potentially transform PEMEX into a privatized company, and lots of Mexicans are very grumpy about that. What to wear to a protest, after the jump:

Discussion of how to solve rising energy costs and how to improve PEMEX’s flagging performance have been going on for decades, and in April of this year, President Felipe Calderon suggested that the government focus specifically on reforming the structuring of PEMEX. This led to a lot of shouting and arm-waving, especially from a group called The Movement In Defense of Oil, which is a larger association made up of 38 individual brigades.

“Floy y Canto” is one of those brigades, and it’s this group who’ve been giving classes daily at the base of the Angel of Independence column, saying they need to be prepared for any situation. Here are some of their pointers:

• Wear comfortable clothes like sneakers, jeans and a sweatshirt (you might be squatting in place for hours.)

• For large buildings, make human chains by standing in a line with arms outspread.

• If the police try to break up the line, sit down and link arms with your neighbors. Don’t let them get you to your feet.

• [Ed note: And bring a Nintendo DS.]

A draft of the Senate Energy Committee’s proposal could be finalized as early as October 15th, so thousands of protesters will be preparing for demonstrations throughout the next week.

Dan a brigadistas clases de resistencia [Reforma]