Despite the “grave damage” caused by teachers’ railway blockades in Michoacán, the interior secretary says the federal government remains determined not to use force against the protesters.

Olga Sánchez Cordero said President López Obrador has been clear in his orders regarding the protest in Michoacán, which started 11 days ago.

” . . . There will be no repression, [the federal government] will not resort to using public force. We are going to negotiate, and when negotiations are over, we will negotiate some more,” said the president’s second-in-command.

“There are very serious impacts,” she acknowledged, but insisted on negotiating. “If they need to be paid, what’s owed to them must be paid.”

“I believe there will be progress,” she said of the negotiations, adding that she hoped that in days, “hopefully hours,” the issue would be resolved and the blockades lifted.

The teachers’ blockades, which have gone up at seven different points of the Michoacán railway system, have fouled up the federal government’s plan to distribute fuel to Jalisco using tanker cars.

They have also snarled the movement of other cargo, creating losses that some estimates put in the billions of pesos.

The state received 1.65 billion pesos in December to pay monies owed to teachers, but is now asking for another 1.2 billion.

Source: Milenio (sp), Noticieros Televisa (sp)