Synarchist involvement in regional protest groups and political parties was both a reality and a regularly used accusation aimed at discrediting opposition. The Civic Union of León, one such local party active in the mid-1940s, was dominated by a cadre of synarchists in the leadership positions. For example, Austreberto Aragon Maldonado, whose "Liga de Resistencia de Usarios del Agua de Oaxaca"—a group that supported improvement in the water supply in Oaxaca—enjoyed widespread support in the region, he was regularly denounced by the state government as a synarchist. This occurred despite Maldonado's regular efforts to deny in any involvement in the UNS and taking care not to involve himself with any extremist groups. Maldonado was targeted in this way due to the broad-based support his movement enjoyed and the possibility that it could become a focus for wider resistance.