Bienvenidos a México Desde Afuera
Your one stop shop for the best coverage of Mexico in the Foreign Press. This week, we take a pause from the celebratory mood that most of the world has been in following the US elections and bring you the latest about the violent actions of the Cancún police against citizens protesting a femicide. We also want to recommend Netflix’ newest documentary on Marisela Escobedo, an activist and a victim of gender violence in Mexico.
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Cancún police open fire on a femicide protest
The Guardian
After the body of Bianca “Alexis” Lorenzana, 20, was found mutilated in Cancún over the weekend, her mother, alongside 500 protesters, took to the streets. According to the Guardian, Alexis’ mother had originally asked for a peaceful march, but “partway through the demonstration she changed her mind, reportedly telling protesters: “Burn it all, because Alexis would have done that for you.”
As the protesters neared Cancun’s Municipal Palace, city police officers approached them and opened fire, causing demonstrators to disperse. While the international press mostly focused on the four journalists who were injured - two of them suffered bullet wounds - local media highlighted that police officers sexually abused female protesters who were arrested.
Who is responsible? As seen in photos, the attacks were carried out by members of the city’s police force. However, under state law, the city’s police follow orders from the state police department, which the governor is in charge of - a fact that the Mayor of Cancún quickly highlighted.
As of Tuesday Morning, the president himself said that there are two versions of the story regarding the responsibility for the incident and demanded local authorities to undertake a thorough investigation.
Even though both the City and State’s police chiefs have resigned, this incident and its subsequent investigation- as relevant as they are - is just one more element of the government's failed strategy in tackling the gender violence that kills 10 Mexican women every day.
🇰🇵🇲🇽 AMLO joins Putin, Bolsonaro, Kim Jong-un and Xi Jinping in waiting to congratulate Joe Biden on his win
...but seriously, why is he waiting?
In case you've been living under a rock and didn’t hear, President Donald Trump lost last week’s presidential race, and heads of governments from all across the world and the political spectrum rushed to call Joe Biden to congratulate him. From Cuba to Canada, Singapore to Saudi Arabia.
But President López Obrador, unsurprisingly, declared that he will wait until the electoral process is finished to congratulate the winner- Trump hasn’t conceded and even cried fraud. There are two simple reasons for AMLO’s decision. (1) Not only has he managed to get along with Trump but he is actually very sympathetic towards him and even thanked him for being “increasingly respectful (to Mexicans)”. (2) As a victim of electoral fraud back in 2006 (which is still a disputed claim), AMLO has a sweet spot for those who claim to be victims of electoral fraud. When asked about his stance, he recalled how the Spanish prime minister recognized his opponent’s victory before the electoral authorities certified the election. Of course, by delaying his congratulation, he is validating Trump’s claims, which makes the beginning of his relationship with Biden an awkward one. Los Angeles Times / Reuters
⚖️ ICE Tried to Deport Yet Another Potential Witness in the Gynecology Scandal
After the wake of a whistleblower complaint released in September alleging gynaecological procedures were performed without the patients’ authorization at an immigration center, over 50 women, many of them Mexican citizens, have come forward. In this article by Vice, we learned that ICE has deported or attempted to deport at least six potential witnesses before they could fully testify in the ongoing investigation. Last week, the Mexican Foreign Affairs Minister declared that legal lawsuits will be presented. Vice
⛓️ Man is arrested in connection with massacre of Mormon women and children in Mexico
The detained man has been identified as a member of a criminal organisation and linked to last year’s massacre of nine Mormon American-Mexican citizens in the northern state of Sonora. Last year, several theories emerged, trying to explain why alleged drug cartels killed the Mormon family members - yet, not a single definitive explanation was released. CNN
📰 A journalist covering a discovery of human remains is shot dead
Reporting on the discovery of human remains in Guanajuato, Israel Vázquez, 31, appears to have arrived at the scene of the crime before the security forces. He was then found seriously injured with several bullet wounds and died hours later in the hospital. Traditionally peaceful Guanajuato has become the state with the highest number of homicides in 2020. BBC
What else we’ve been reading:
💊 Jacobin: The US Cannot Whitewash Away Its Role in the Mexican “War on Drugs”
😅 AMLO orders inquiry into report that aide paid shell firms
👶 Pregnant Meghan Markle hides in Mexico
We don’t need to explain the absurdity, do we?
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AMLO’s quote: “I got distracted”
Some context: AMLO was naming businessmen and media personalities that frequently criticize him, when he confused one with one of his most famous supporter, who happens to also be the husband of a cabinet member.
“Empieza uno a ver a Krauze papá, Krauze hijo, Aguilar Camín, Liébano, Claudio X. González, Ackerman. No, cómo se llama uno de un noticiero ¡Zuckerman!... Me camuqué”