Speeches: Gustavo Díaz Ordaz - VPRO documentary - 2016
68In 1968, Mexico's president Díaz Ordaz ordered a massacre among protesting students after a warning speech. 'Foreigner' Sali de Swaan witnessed the revolt closely.
Ignited by the student revolts in Paris and Berlin earlier this year, the Mexican students in 1968 also took to the streets in a call for more freedom and democracy.
On 1 September 1968, the authoritarian Mexican president Gustavo Díaz Ordaz in his annual speech to parliament, warned the young people to stop their demonstrations against his government.
This speech would very quickly turn out to be an outrage.
A month later, on October 2, 1968, a peaceful meeting on the Tlatelolcop square in Mexico City ended in a massacre. Dozens, some even claim hundreds, attendees found death, cut down by machine guns. Others disappeared in prison for years. What exactly happened and why has always remained a mystery.
The President's speech and its tragic aftermath would get a nasty echo in 2014. Then, 43 Mexican students disappeared from the face of the earth after a violent confrontation with the police. Even now people who are left behind in the dark are feeling the motives behind the disappearance. And what is the most intriguing in this remarkable story: at the moment of their disappearance, the 43 students were on their way to the annual commemoration of the '68 massacre at Tlatelolcoplein.
Speeches is a series of documentaries, based on an idea by Jos de Putter, about historical speeches made by influential people who have determined the course of history or inspired people. In each episode, a well-known speech of a historical figure is central. In addition, people whose personal lives are strongly influenced by these speeches tell their story and review the speeches again.
Originally broadcasted by VPRO in 2016.
© VPRO Backlight January 2016
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Credits:
Based on an idea by: Jos de Putter
Production: Iris Fransen
Redaction: Tjeerd Bijman
Research: Barbara Kist
Editors in chief: David Kleijwegt, Roel van Broekhoven
English, French and Spanish subtitles: Ericsson.
French and Spanish subtitles are co-funded by European Union.