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¡Alto! Asesinos Así No Se Gobierna (Stop! Murderers This Isn't the Way to Govern)

Poster
1968 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This poster could have been made following the Tlatelolco student massacre on 2 October 1968. The surrendering figure whose arms are stretched above his head, is clearly a student: he carries a book in one hand. The student is outnumbered by a disembodied threat: the weapons take aim at him without being held by visible opponents. The bazooka and rifle represent the military threat protesting students faced, while the club signifies the police they encountered. The three weapons combined point to the larger threat posed by the Mexican government as a whole that wished to silence the protesting students.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Title¡Alto! Asesinos Así No Se Gobierna (Stop! Murderers This Isn't the Way to Govern) (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Paper and ink
Brief description
Poster, '¡Alto! Asesinos Así No Se Gobierna' (Stop! Murderers this isn't the Way to Govern), anti-government protest poster; Mexico, 1968
Physical description
Three weapons - a military bazooka, a rifle and a police club - aimed at a surrendering student whose arms are raised above his head , a book in one hand.
Dimensions
  • Height: 20.5cm
  • Width: 27.9cm
Marks and inscriptions
¡ALTO! ASESINOS/ ASÍ/ NO SE GOBIERNA (many smudged fingerprints below the image from once-wet ink)
Translation
from the Spanish: Stop! Murderers This Isn't the Way to Govern
Credit line
Gift of the American Friends of the V&A; Gift to the American Friends by Leslie, Judith and Gabri Schreyer and Alice Schreyer Batko
Subjects depicted
Place depicted
Summary
This poster could have been made following the Tlatelolco student massacre on 2 October 1968. The surrendering figure whose arms are stretched above his head, is clearly a student: he carries a book in one hand. The student is outnumbered by a disembodied threat: the weapons take aim at him without being held by visible opponents. The bazooka and rifle represent the military threat protesting students faced, while the club signifies the police they encountered. The three weapons combined point to the larger threat posed by the Mexican government as a whole that wished to silence the protesting students.
Other number
LS.1445 - Leslie Schreyer Loan Number
Collection
Accession number
E.1516-2004

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Record createdAugust 2, 2004
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