Chivis Martínez for Borderland Beat
UPDATE: New and better video of what transpired at bottom...
Auto defense groups (community police), with over 3000 members from various municipalities arrived at Apatzingán, in the early hours of Saturday, to stage a protest against organized criminal groups. As they arrived at the city they found a containment had been created by federal police troops blocking entry into the city.
Reports claimed that the feds were falsely advised there would be a conflict and that was the purpose of the auto defensas arrival, which is why they sought to disarm the group in order to avoid a blood spill.
Hipolito Mora and José Manuel
Mireles, leaders of the auto defense groups, explained they came to Apatzingán, a stronghold of Caballeros Templarios, to revalidate their repudiation to the climate of insecurity and
anxiety, perpetuated by organized Crime to the inhabitants of the region.
The leaders along with other activists spoke with State and Federal members of the armed forces, PF and Governments, requesting that they be allowed to go in armed, because of the obvious threat to their security to enter the city without them in a possible attack. The request was firmly denied.
They proceeded to the main plaza with their cartulinas and banners to protest and at that time were fired upon.
The video below begins with footage from the attack, followed by Dr. Mierles. the video has the translated narrative, translated for BB by J.Lopez. (huge thanks my friend)
In the video Dr. Jose Mireles gives the account of what happened in his words.
The man tin the photo below, is being held by angry defense members. Members say the man is the Caballeros Templarios collector of cuota or tax. He further angered the crowd by refusing to show his face to the camera, prompting them to physical force his face to turn and ace the camera. (Click to enlarge image)
Video includes interview with Dr. Mireles and attack footage
We got there late because we had to talk a lot with the Army
, as they were not going to let us pass with our weapons. In fact, they didn’t
let us pass until we agreed that we were only going to do a march for the
freedom of Apatzingán. And they guaranteed that nobody would attack us. They
disarmed all of us, and 3,000 of us came in our pickups on a dirt road that
goes to the traffic circle/plaza at Chabgo. There was nothing there.
Fortunately, there, we detained the guy in charge of collections on the plaza,
from right here in Apatzingán. With the Los Templarios mafia. We still have him
detained.
We got here and went to look at the Sales de Ahuacapan and came back without
any problem until we established ourselves outside the Apatzingán municipal
government building, in front of the house where the 1814 Constitution was
signed.
It turns out that I came here to the radio station one half block from there to
deliver my message about the march/meeting for the liberation of Apatzingán,
and just as we were finishing my message, we began to hear bomb blasts, grenade
blasts. They were launching grenades at us from the roof of the cathedral.
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| Stopped and Disarmed |
We
had already informed the Army that we had received reports of snipers on the
cathedral, because somebody had seen them carrying rifles, and that there were
also snipers on top of the municipal government building. We informed the Army
and they told us not to worry, that they were Army personnel.
That's when we got there and parked our trucks outside the main square. And I
began calling on the radio I have in my truck, telling people to settle down,
that we are not criminals, we don't murder anybody, and that we are never going
to become that which we are fighting against.
So, we were right here and we heard the bomb blasts and machine gun fire, and
it turns out that the attack begins big time. Fortunately, there were a lot of
federal and military personnel around the plaza and they were the ones who
responded to the attack. They are still responding to it. There are still
grenade explosions and sporadic gunfire, and you can hear them all the way
here, where we are hiding inside the radio station.
But we are worried. An ambulance, on our side, just went by to the local
hospital because there were some of our men... Although the grenades, thank
God, did not fall in the direction that our demonstration was being held. If
even one of those grenades they are shooting at us hits among us, it could
easily kill 50 of us.
I think there has only been 3 wounded, one seriously and two with minor
injuries, but we're waiting for a report. So we are still here, we cannot
leave. It is a difficult situation for us because they did not let us keep our
weapons to defend ourselves with, and now that we are being attacked, we cannot
defend ourselves.
Fortunately, I repeat, there is a lot of Army and federal presence here, and
they are the ones who are carrying out the defense at this time, Priscilla.
--Dr. Mireles, these three persons who have been reported as wounded, are they
members of the self-defense groups, residents of Apatzingán, or members of
organized crime?
Big thanks to the reader who sent in information on the manta!
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