Marinas Lose Control at Protest in Jalisco: Have to Call in the Municipales

Translated by Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: Universal

        Mexican Marinas Vehicles with "CJNG" Scrawled across the Hood and Shattered Windshield

And: Animal Politico June 5, 2018

Ciudad Guzmán.- At least three people were wounded by bullets after elements of the Navy fired into the air to disperse a demonstration against enforced disappearances in the municipality of Zapotlán El Grande, in southern Jalisco and ended ended in violent clashes between civilians and sailors.

Although a peaceful protest was called at 4:30 p.m. Monday afternoon on the outskirts of the municipal seat, about 200 people protested the cases of disappearance of people in the state and consider those responsible: Elements of the Secretariat of the Navy of Mexico (Semar).

According to the local media El Sur Jalisco, a group of young people, some with their faces covered with handkerchiefs and banners, struck out the four tires of a truck in which sailors, ie marinas, who were sent to guard  the protest and surrounded the vehicle. The youths threw stones, sticks and other objects and wrote in the truck "rats", "justice fucking thieves" and the acronym "CJNG", which identifies the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. This went on for two hours; the Marinas caught up in the middle.

Road traffic was suspended completely in both directions and the assaults were rising in tone against the military, some men climbed into the hood and roof of the truck and began to jump on it; other subjects, several of them hooded, faced the sailors and even threw blows at them.

At the beginning of the protest there were children and women present,  after the confrontation mostly a group of young people remained. "Boss, we do not bring arms, do not shoot !", is heard in another video circulating on social networks.

Around 6 pm a group of municipal police arrived to try to rescue the soldiers who were already beginning to receive blows with sticks.

The municipal police tried to advance with shields,  but people prevented them from doing so by facing them with stones and sticks;   Thus, while the police distracted the subjects vandalizing the Navy unit,  another group of soldiers came to rescue the 8 elements that were surrounded.

The people protesting tried to prevent the rescue and began throwing stones and sticks against both Marines and policemen,  they retreated on the Avenida Gobernador Alberto Cárdenas in the direction of the center of the city.

After protecting his companions, another group of Marinas returned with weapons pointing to the sky and began firing to disperse the people; in this way, they managed to recover the unit that was damaged and which  had the initials of the Cartel of Jalisco Nueva Generación sprayed on it.

After the incident two ambulances of the Red Cross entered to take care of the wounded, whose state of health has not been made known.

Regarding what happened, the secretary general of the government, Roberto López Lara, indicated that an investigation folder has already been initiated by federal authorities for the events that have taken place.

Some attendees shielded themselves from the attacks:

"They said it was going to be a peaceful demonstration. We organized ourselves and we went, but I really did not think that would happen , the violence that is. My goal was for them to realize that I  that I love my son, I do not forget my son, I want him back, " said Norma Karina, mother of Ulises Cardona Flores, a 17-year-old girl who disappeared since January 22.

Relatives of Luis René Alonso Vázquez also accused Semar of the young man's disappearance on January 26. The demonstration to demand his return "with life" or knowledge of his location ended after the violent confrontation.

The secretary general of the state government, Roberto López Lara, posted on his Twitter account: "We are in contact and in collaboration with the federal coordinators of the Jalisco Coordination Group for the events that occurred this afternoon in the municipality of Zapotlán el Grande, who have opened a research folder. "

After the afternoon of Tuesday circulated videos and photographs of a demonstration in Ciudad Guzmán where personnel of the Armed Navy of Mexico was confronted with civilians, the federal agency explains that its personnel received aggressions on the part of the demonstrators.

"The events occurred when naval personnel circulated aboard official vehicles (...) where they received direct attacks by those allegedly demonstrating the presence of elements of this institution in the state of Jalisco," they said in a statement.

In addition, they explain that "upon seeing that their life was in danger they discharged dissuasive shots in the air to disperse the crowd" in such a way as to avoid an escalation of the aggression.

Semar emphasizes that his men did not respond to physical and verbal aggressions and that at all times they adhered to the Manual for the Use of the Common Application Force of the three Armed Forces.

The statement concludes with the following position: "The Secretary of the  Navy of Mexico strongly condemns any act that attempts against Mexican society, in addition respects the right of citizens to organize and demonstrate freely, without harming third parties."

Mexican Marines Surrounded By Citizens Protesting against State Forces Disappearing Their Family and Community Members. 

A group of people also made a protest on the Carretera Colima-GDL, to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the presence of the elements of the Semar, according to the newspaper El Mural.

In November 2017, the Navy set up a camp in the southern zone of Jalisco, where it was presumed that the leader of CJNG, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes,  "El Mencho", is hiding.

In that region of the state there have been several reports of cases of forced disappearance, according to the report published in November 2017 by the Washington Office for Latin American Affairs (WOLA) and also cited by the Justice Center for Peace and Development (Cepad) in the study entitled: "Violations of human rights in the southern coast of Jalisco."

Due to the violent events of Monday afternoon, there is no official report on the number of wounded or arrested. El Suspicaz, a local media news outlet, reported four injured by gunshot wounds.

However, Today June 6 the Authorities Report:

Sources of the security cabinet detail that the cells of said criminal organization are under the command of Guadalupe Rodríguez Cruz, "El 15", head of the plaza in Zapotlán el Grande.

A march demanding the return of Luis René Alonso Vázquez in Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco, who disappeared on January 26 of this year, resulted in aggressions against Infantry elements of the Mexican Navy.

Through a press release, the Secretariat of Navy of Mexico, announced that the naval elements were attacked while circulating on board official vehicles on Avenida Gobernador Alberto Cárdenas Jiménez and Margarita Maza de Juárez, where they received direct attacks by more than a hundred people allegedly manifested by the presence of elements of this institution in the state of Jalisco.

However, according to sources in the Federal Government security cabinet , attacks on Infantry personnel and units of the Navy of Mexico in which carried was a direct attack by cells  of CJNG,  found to be under the command of Guadalupe Rodríguez Cruz, "El 15", head of the criminal organization in Zapotlán el Grande, Jalisco.

The escalation of violence and mobilizations in the state, is occurring in order to remove the naval elements of Jalisco after the arrest of various operators of the criminal organization, including the wife of the criminal leader and the supposed disappearance of innocent citizens.

Among those that stand out: Javier "N", alias "Peque" presumed operator and supplier of chemical precursors for said criminal organization.  José Luis Gutiérrez Ochoa, "El Tolín", "El 77" or "El señor de la TT", brother-in-law of Rubén Oseguera González, alias "El Menchito". Adrián 'N', alleged financial operator of the criminal group in Nayarit. Rosalinda N., wife of "El Mencho", probable administrator of the economic resources of the criminal group.

The damages to the units of the Navy of Mexico , were valued in a total of 120,000, 900 Pesos that will be covered by the institution for the immediate repair of the same units to be able to follow in their dissuasion patrols in the municipalities where concentrated theft of fuel and transfer of drugs in Jalisco it is concentrated.

See Our Previous Posts on those arrested Above.

Video Available on FB: https://www.facebook.com/TraficoZMGCiudadGuzman/videos/1285346178265450/ …