Mexican Official Calls Protest 'Illegal'

Mexico's interior secretary on Tuesday said the supporters of a leftist presidential candidate who are occupying a central part of the capital have set up an ``illegal blockade'' and it was up to the mayor to guarantee order.

Carlos Abascal, the top-ranking member of outgoing President Vicente Fox's Cabinet, stopped short of ordering Mexico City Mayor Alejandro Encinas to force the protesters to leave Reforma Avenue, which transverses the financial and cultural heart of this city of 20 million.

But he said he had ``implored him, in accordance with his responsibilities, to guarantee the order and liberty of all citizens in the face of the illegal blockade.''

snip)
Lopez Obrador acknowledged the criticism and urged Mexicans not to turn to violence. He counseled supporters to tell angry commuters that ``this is a fight for democracy that will benefit everyone.''
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5988786,00.html

would require a court decision, would it not?

Appears the right wingers are skipping a few steps here in order to silence their opposition.

funny when it's used by individuals partial responsible for the Illegal Immigration problem in the United States.

but it is illegal to demonstrate for having a recount in which every vote is counted.

Sounds like Florida...

in the streets with his supporters, rather than sneaking off for a comfortable rest in a nice, comfy bed somewhere. From the article:

Addressing about 40,000 supporters near the tent city where he himself is sleeping, Lopez Obrador did not mention Abascal by name, but said that those who oppose him ``say they support the rule of law, but actually are in favor of the rule of crookedness.''
(snip)

I'll bet this act of staying in the trenches with the people will be something they will remember long after the demonstration is over.

I'm not.

I don't think there is any question about that. But this is a highly political situation, and it will be politics, not the rule of law, that determines what happens. The mayor of Mexico City is a Lopez Obrador ally, and I imagine he is not inclined to send the granaderos (riot cops)in against his own people.

There is ugly potential here for a clash between the security forces of Mexico City and the security forces of the Mexican government, which may be a good reason for not forcing the issue by attempting to arrest the blockaders.

poor and blame the poor for their plight and how to destroy democracy and civil liberities.

:kick:

Aug. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Supporters of Mexican presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador blocked the nation's stock exchange for about six hours in an escalation of protests to demand a recount of the July 2 election.

Hundreds of demonstrators, amid light rain, waved flags and chanted ``ballot by ballot'' as they obstructed the entrance to the exchange and to an adjacent building where companies including Bank of America Corp. and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. have offices. All trading on the exchange is electronic and operations weren't affected, spokesman Guillermo Medina said.

Lopez Obrador is stepping up street protests as the electoral tribunal prepares to rule on his request for a full review of the vote, which he says was marred by fraud. A blockade since July 30 of Mexico City's main avenue has turned the eight-lane boulevard into a tent city, disrupting traffic and causing shops and hotels in the area to lose about $23 million a day.

``This is part of our civil resistance plan,'' said Martin Zepeda, 39, who joined the protest outside the exchange. ``We want a ballot-by-ballot recount,'' said Zepeda, a member of Lopez Obrador's Party of the Democratic Revolution who was elected federal deputy in the July 2 vote ...

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=a4k6qbPuH9Y0&refer=latin_america

is and he's got them figureed out

NAFTA doesn't seem to be helping the Mexicans much. A Leftist government could mean better education and Unions. Like we used to have here before the Mafia took over.