Borderland Beat posted by DD Republished in English from Mexico Daily News, Original in Spanish from Milenio
DD. At the Nurmberg War Crime Trials following World War Two, many of the defendants claimed they were not guilty because "they were just following orders". Occasionally, the Nuremberg Defense is referred to as the Eichmann defense. Adolf Eichmann was one of the most prominent Nazis to use this defense at his trial (held in Israel in 1961).
In his defense Eichmann said:
"... . It was my misfortune to
become entangled in these atrocities. But these misdeeds did not happen
according to my wishes. It was not my wish to slay people. . . . Once
again I would stress that I am guilty of having been obedient, having
subordinated myself to my official duties and the obligations of ...
service and my oath of allegiance and my oath of office, . . . I did
not persecute Jews
with avidity and passion. That is what the government did. . . . At
that time obedience was demanded, just as in the future it will also be
demanded of the subordinate."
That defense didn't work very well for Eichmann nor most of those accused of war crimes.
While the circumstances and conditions in Nazi Germany and in Mexico today are very different I believe the mindset of many Mexico police was much like the "I was just following orders" when they have committed atrocities and abused human rights (especially "forced disappearances" and torture). Granted there are many corrupt cops who are on the payroll of the criminals and do as ordered by them, there must be many who are otherwise good people who justify what they do because their superiors ordered them to do so. That is the only way they could sleep with themselves at night.
The following story may illustrate that that mentality is changing. While some of these cops didn't obey orders due to concern for their own safety, others questioned the validity of their superior's orders. If that mentality spreads in the law enforcement community in Mexico, it could be a chink in the very foundation of authoritarian government that depends on absolute power to rule.
Mexico News Daily | Tuesday, April 14, 2015
(Original story in Spanish from Milenio by Rogelio Augustin Esteban)
El
periodismo necesita inversión. Comparte este artículo utilizando los
íconos que aparecen en la página. La reproducción de este contenido sin
autorización previa está prohibida.
El
periodismo necesita inversión. Comparte este artículo utilizando los
íconos que aparecen en la página. La reproducción de este contenido sin
autorización previa está prohibida.
On April 9, police in the state of Guerrero were ordered to use violence against demonstrators taking part in a labor strike. In a surprising turn of events, the police disobeyed the orders of their superiors and afterwards filed a complaint with the public prosecutor’s office over their superiors’ conduct and lack of concern for officer safety.
State riot police sent in by local governments to contain demonstrators have consistently suffered defeats, been forced out of areas where they were outnumbered by protesters and even suffered injuries at the hands of activists. Many police officers, tired of being perceived as enemies of the people and put at risk by their seemingly indifferent superiors, are beginning to speak out.
Officers in Guerrero set a precedent on that night of April 9 when they refused orders from superiors to go after the protesters in order to “fuck them up.”
José Alberto Valenzo, a state police officer who assumed leadership of the 35 riot police who refused to obey orders, argues that police are constantly called into dangerous situations in which they are outnumbered by angry protesters who consistently react to police intervention with violence, causing injuries to officers, and disillusioning many more.
 |
| On Thursday, several policemen were beaten by protesters. (José Hernández / Cuartoscuro) |
“It feels hopeless knowing that a co-worker with whom you spend so much time is being attacked, and that the protesters, because of their own stress, have reacted with violence against them,” said Valenza.
“The truth is that there is a lot of stress. Most of the time we’re sent to a demonstration completely outnumbered and therefore protesters attack us,” laments one of Valenza’s fellow officers. “I have five children, all of them minors. If I get injured or suspended, what are they going to eat? No one is going to take care of them.”
Police complain that whenever there is a protest they are almost always viewed as the enemy, and are often put into dangerous situations without proper protection.
“The truth is it shouldn’t be like this; we do everything we can to respect the protesters’ human rights.”
They claim that on more than one occasion they have been used as bait by their superiors, who sent them into dangerous and heated situations.
Tensions in the region increased after the events of September 26 and 27, 2014, when students of the teachers’ college in Ayotzinapa were attacked, abducted and killed in the city of Iguala.
What happened in Tixtla and Iguala is typical of the many problems police face every day, said Valenzo.
n
April 9, police in the state of Guerrero were ordered to use violence
against demonstrators taking part in a labor strike. In a surprising
turn of events, the police disobeyed the orders of their superiors and
afterwards filed a complaint with the public prosecutor’s office over
their superiors’ conduct and lack of concern for officer safety. - See
more at:
http://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/police-tired-seen-enemies/?utm_source=Mexico+News+Daily&utm_campaign=67a68aa555-Apr.+14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f1536a3787-67a68aa555-349444589#sthash.4F2MEeZj.dpuf
On
April 9, police in the state of Guerrero were ordered to use violence
against demonstrators taking part in a labor strike. In a surprising
turn of events, the police disobeyed the orders of their superiors and
afterwards filed a complaint with the public prosecutor’s office over
their superiors’ conduct and lack of concern for officer safety.
State riot police sent in by local governments to contain demonstrators have consistently suffered defeats, been forced out of areas where they were outnumbered by protesters and even suffered injuries at the hands of activists. Many police officers, tired of being perceived as enemies of the people and put at risk by their seemingly indifferent superiors, are beginning to speak out.
Officers in Guerrero set a precedent on that night of April 9 when they refused orders from superiors to go after the protesters in order to “fuck them up.”
José Alberto Valenzo, a state police officer who assumed leadership of the 35 riot police who refused to obey orders, argues that police are constantly called into dangerous situations in which they are outnumbered by angry protesters who consistently react to police intervention with violence, causing injuries to officers, and disillusioning many more.
When workers raided the facilities of judicial authorities in the
major cities of the state on April 9, police in Acapulco tasked with
crowd control agreed to a non-aggression pact with the workers. But in
Tixtla and Iguala fellow officers were overtaken by protesters throwing
sticks and stones and engaging in hand-to-hand combat.
“It feels hopeless knowing that a co-worker with whom you spend so much time is being attacked, and that the protesters, because of their own stress, have reacted with violence against them,” said Valenza.
“The truth is that there is a lot of stress. Most of the time we’re sent to a demonstration completely outnumbered and therefore protesters attack us,” laments one of Valenza’s fellow officers. “I have five children, all of them minors. If I get injured or suspended, what are they going to eat? No one is going to take care of them.”
Police complain that whenever there is a protest they are almost always viewed as the enemy, and are often put into dangerous situations without proper protection.
“The truth is it shouldn’t be like this; we do everything we can to respect the protesters’ human rights.”
They claim that on more than one occasion they have been used as bait by their superiors, who sent them into dangerous and heated situations.
Tensions in the region increased after the events of September 26 and 27, 2014, when students of the teachers’ college in Ayotzinapa were attacked, abducted and killed in the city of Iguala.
What happened in Tixtla and Iguala is typical of the many problems police face every day, said Valenzo.
Source: Milenio (sp)
- See more at: http://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/police-tired-seen-enemies/?utm_source=Mexico+News+Daily&utm_campaign=67a68aa555-Apr.+14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f1536a3787-67a68aa555-349444589#sthash.4F2MEeZj.dpuf
State riot police sent in by local governments to contain demonstrators have consistently suffered defeats, been forced out of areas where they were outnumbered by protesters and even suffered injuries at the hands of activists. Many police officers, tired of being perceived as enemies of the people and put at risk by their seemingly indifferent superiors, are beginning to speak out.
Officers in Guerrero set a precedent on that night of April 9 when they refused orders from superiors to go after the protesters in order to “fuck them up.”
José Alberto Valenzo, a state police officer who assumed leadership of the 35 riot police who refused to obey orders, argues that police are constantly called into dangerous situations in which they are outnumbered by angry protesters who consistently react to police intervention with violence, causing injuries to officers, and disillusioning many more.
“It feels hopeless knowing that a co-worker with whom you spend so much time is being attacked, and that the protesters, because of their own stress, have reacted with violence against them,” said Valenza.
“The truth is that there is a lot of stress. Most of the time we’re sent to a demonstration completely outnumbered and therefore protesters attack us,” laments one of Valenza’s fellow officers. “I have five children, all of them minors. If I get injured or suspended, what are they going to eat? No one is going to take care of them.”
Police complain that whenever there is a protest they are almost always viewed as the enemy, and are often put into dangerous situations without proper protection.
They claim that on more than one occasion they have been used as bait by their superiors, who sent them into dangerous and heated situations.
Tensions in the region increased after the events of September 26 and 27, 2014, when students of the teachers’ college in Ayotzinapa were attacked, abducted and killed in the city of Iguala.
What happened in Tixtla and Iguala is typical of the many problems police face every day, said Valenzo.
Source: Milenio (sp)
- See more at: http://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/police-tired-seen-enemies/?utm_source=Mexico+News+Daily&utm_campaign=67a68aa555-Apr.+14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f1536a3787-67a68aa555-349444589#sthash.4F2MEeZj.dpuf
On
April 9, police in the state of Guerrero were ordered to use violence
against demonstrators taking part in a labor strike. In a surprising
turn of events, the police disobeyed the orders of their superiors and
afterwards filed a complaint with the public prosecutor’s office over
their superiors’ conduct and lack of concern for officer safety.
State riot police sent in by local governments to contain demonstrators have consistently suffered defeats, been forced out of areas where they were outnumbered by protesters and even suffered injuries at the hands of activists. Many police officers, tired of being perceived as enemies of the people and put at risk by their seemingly indifferent superiors, are beginning to speak out.
Officers in Guerrero set a precedent on that night of April 9 when they refused orders from superiors to go after the protesters in order to “fuck them up.”
José Alberto Valenzo, a state police officer who assumed leadership of the 35 riot police who refused to obey orders, argues that police are constantly called into dangerous situations in which they are outnumbered by angry protesters who consistently react to police intervention with violence, causing injuries to officers, and disillusioning many more.
When workers raided the facilities of judicial authorities in the
major cities of the state on April 9, police in Acapulco tasked with
crowd control agreed to a non-aggression pact with the workers. But in
Tixtla and Iguala fellow officers were overtaken by protesters throwing
sticks and stones and engaging in hand-to-hand combat.
“It feels hopeless knowing that a co-worker with whom you spend so much time is being attacked, and that the protesters, because of their own stress, have reacted with violence against them,” said Valenza.
“The truth is that there is a lot of stress. Most of the time we’re sent to a demonstration completely outnumbered and therefore protesters attack us,” laments one of Valenza’s fellow officers. “I have five children, all of them minors. If I get injured or suspended, what are they going to eat? No one is going to take care of them.”
Police complain that whenever there is a protest they are almost always viewed as the enemy, and are often put into dangerous situations without proper protection.
“The truth is it shouldn’t be like this; we do everything we can to respect the protesters’ human rights.”
They claim that on more than one occasion they have been used as bait by their superiors, who sent them into dangerous and heated situations.
Tensions in the region increased after the events of September 26 and 27, 2014, when students of the teachers’ college in Ayotzinapa were attacked, abducted and killed in the city of Iguala.
What happened in Tixtla and Iguala is typical of the many problems police face every day, said Valenzo.
Source: Milenio (sp)
- See more at: http://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/police-tired-seen-enemies/?utm_source=Mexico+News+Daily&utm_campaign=67a68aa555-Apr.+14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f1536a3787-67a68aa555-349444589#sthash.4F2MEeZj.dpuf
State riot police sent in by local governments to contain demonstrators have consistently suffered defeats, been forced out of areas where they were outnumbered by protesters and even suffered injuries at the hands of activists. Many police officers, tired of being perceived as enemies of the people and put at risk by their seemingly indifferent superiors, are beginning to speak out.
Officers in Guerrero set a precedent on that night of April 9 when they refused orders from superiors to go after the protesters in order to “fuck them up.”
José Alberto Valenzo, a state police officer who assumed leadership of the 35 riot police who refused to obey orders, argues that police are constantly called into dangerous situations in which they are outnumbered by angry protesters who consistently react to police intervention with violence, causing injuries to officers, and disillusioning many more.
“It feels hopeless knowing that a co-worker with whom you spend so much time is being attacked, and that the protesters, because of their own stress, have reacted with violence against them,” said Valenza.
“The truth is that there is a lot of stress. Most of the time we’re sent to a demonstration completely outnumbered and therefore protesters attack us,” laments one of Valenza’s fellow officers. “I have five children, all of them minors. If I get injured or suspended, what are they going to eat? No one is going to take care of them.”
Police complain that whenever there is a protest they are almost always viewed as the enemy, and are often put into dangerous situations without proper protection.
They claim that on more than one occasion they have been used as bait by their superiors, who sent them into dangerous and heated situations.
Tensions in the region increased after the events of September 26 and 27, 2014, when students of the teachers’ college in Ayotzinapa were attacked, abducted and killed in the city of Iguala.
What happened in Tixtla and Iguala is typical of the many problems police face every day, said Valenzo.
Source: Milenio (sp)
- See more at: http://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/police-tired-seen-enemies/?utm_source=Mexico+News+Daily&utm_campaign=67a68aa555-Apr.+14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f1536a3787-67a68aa555-349444589#sthash.4F2MEeZj.dpuf
On
April 9, police in the state of Guerrero were ordered to use violence
against demonstrators taking part in a labor strike. In a surprising
turn of events, the police disobeyed the orders of their superiors and
afterwards filed a complaint with the public prosecutor’s office over
their superiors’ conduct and lack of concern for officer safety.
State riot police sent in by local governments to contain demonstrators have consistently suffered defeats, been forced out of areas where they were outnumbered by protesters and even suffered injuries at the hands of activists. Many police officers, tired of being perceived as enemies of the people and put at risk by their seemingly indifferent superiors, are beginning to speak out.
Officers in Guerrero set a precedent on that night of April 9 when they refused orders from superiors to go after the protesters in order to “fuck them up.”
José Alberto Valenzo, a state police officer who assumed leadership of the 35 riot police who refused to obey orders, argues that police are constantly called into dangerous situations in which they are outnumbered by angry protesters who consistently react to police intervention with violence, causing injuries to officers, and disillusioning many more.
When workers raided the facilities of judicial authorities in the
major cities of the state on April 9, police in Acapulco tasked with
crowd control agreed to a non-aggression pact with the workers. But in
Tixtla and Iguala fellow officers were overtaken by protesters throwing
sticks and stones and engaging in hand-to-hand combat.
“It feels hopeless knowing that a co-worker with whom you spend so much time is being attacked, and that the protesters, because of their own stress, have reacted with violence against them,” said Valenza.
“The truth is that there is a lot of stress. Most of the time we’re sent to a demonstration completely outnumbered and therefore protesters attack us,” laments one of Valenza’s fellow officers. “I have five children, all of them minors. If I get injured or suspended, what are they going to eat? No one is going to take care of them.”
Police complain that whenever there is a protest they are almost always viewed as the enemy, and are often put into dangerous situations without proper protection.
“The truth is it shouldn’t be like this; we do everything we can to respect the protesters’ human rights.”
They claim that on more than one occasion they have been used as bait by their superiors, who sent them into dangerous and heated situations.
Tensions in the region increased after the events of September 26 and 27, 2014, when students of the teachers’ college in Ayotzinapa were attacked, abducted and killed in the city of Iguala.
What happened in Tixtla and Iguala is typical of the many problems police face every day, said Valenzo.
Source: Milenio (sp)
- See more at: http://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/police-tired-seen-enemies/?utm_source=Mexico+News+Daily&utm_campaign=67a68aa555-Apr.+14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f1536a3787-67a68aa555-349444589#sthash.4F2MEeZj.dpuf
State riot police sent in by local governments to contain demonstrators have consistently suffered defeats, been forced out of areas where they were outnumbered by protesters and even suffered injuries at the hands of activists. Many police officers, tired of being perceived as enemies of the people and put at risk by their seemingly indifferent superiors, are beginning to speak out.
Officers in Guerrero set a precedent on that night of April 9 when they refused orders from superiors to go after the protesters in order to “fuck them up.”
José Alberto Valenzo, a state police officer who assumed leadership of the 35 riot police who refused to obey orders, argues that police are constantly called into dangerous situations in which they are outnumbered by angry protesters who consistently react to police intervention with violence, causing injuries to officers, and disillusioning many more.
“It feels hopeless knowing that a co-worker with whom you spend so much time is being attacked, and that the protesters, because of their own stress, have reacted with violence against them,” said Valenza.
“The truth is that there is a lot of stress. Most of the time we’re sent to a demonstration completely outnumbered and therefore protesters attack us,” laments one of Valenza’s fellow officers. “I have five children, all of them minors. If I get injured or suspended, what are they going to eat? No one is going to take care of them.”
Police complain that whenever there is a protest they are almost always viewed as the enemy, and are often put into dangerous situations without proper protection.
They claim that on more than one occasion they have been used as bait by their superiors, who sent them into dangerous and heated situations.
Tensions in the region increased after the events of September 26 and 27, 2014, when students of the teachers’ college in Ayotzinapa were attacked, abducted and killed in the city of Iguala.
What happened in Tixtla and Iguala is typical of the many problems police face every day, said Valenzo.
Source: Milenio (sp)
- See more at: http://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/police-tired-seen-enemies/?utm_source=Mexico+News+Daily&utm_campaign=67a68aa555-Apr.+14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f1536a3787-67a68aa555-349444589#sthash.4F2MEeZj.dpuf
if the shoes fits - wear it..... our police here in u.s are bad , but no where bad as mexico police
ReplyDeleteStupid cops.... Dont they realize they work for a cartel called the mexican government. Everyones going to hate them.
Delete9:16, the "stupid cops" just refused to follow clearly illegal and incompetent orders from their bosses, that has never happened before, read the report again, line by line...the cops are the corrupt government's first line of attack against the mexican people, according to the government, the armed forces of mexico are the mexicans first line of defense, and should be recruited to help the people, not the oligarchs to have things their way...
DeleteThe US has the absolute powers, and we know, absolute power corrupts absolutely
3:28 do you ever see the cops protesting against the corrupt government? No, as a matter of fact they follow orders when they may know that what theyre doing is wrong which makes them stupid cops.
DeleteTHIS IS A TWO WAY STREET
ReplyDeleteCops need to get paid more, a lot more saldo.
In turn for much higher pay they must agree in writing that DRACONIAN prison sentences await them and any superiors who break the oath. Senadores, diputatos y secretarias need the same formal agreements as do members of the judiciary. You take a bribe you go to prison for 20 years, not 19 years and 364 days. Of course in 6 months delegaciones, comandancias, and oficinas de gobernacion would have no one in them.
I have met plenty of honest preventivos and SSP & PFP. And many honest soldados. The rotten ones need to go to CERESA and those that would dare need to be scared to death. There are a greater percentage of honest cops than honest politicians even in EUA.
I agree with you and shocked too see there is still real people as your self out there
DeleteExcept the death penalty in mexico doesnt exist so people are gonna continue to be corrupt. Theres no point of paying the cops more if theyre gonna still be bribed by the cartels. We need revolution damn it not big paychecks.
DeleteThats called murder against the people. A death penalty for being a criminal is what mexico needs.
DeleteRevamp the system from scratch clean house start a new hiring process, bring only military recruits that wanna become cops!
ReplyDeleteJaja
Delete--The military are under "draconian discipljne" they wrongly believe that their higher ranks orders are to be carried out, no matter what, and in the event that there is a need for a fall guy, be ready to take it up the ass.
Delete--Same thing with the police, they do the fuck up, and their bosses never pay they only want to collect from the people, and pay up their piso...
--Soldiers and police need to have their own union independent of management and government, y si siguen chingando sin sindicato, no se la van a acabar,
--disobeying orders, that is GOOD NEWS, but how lowly police can know better than their highly placed and illustrious chiefs and managers?
--La gente educated them, a Punta de Chingadazos..
-MISTER PRESIDENT OBAMA, SEND THE MARINES, PLEASE, SAVE PEÑA NIETO!!!
10:31 Some belive that 10:23 was directing at you. What you gotta say about it?
Deletestop killing and beating the shit out of the innocent population and go after the powerful criminal organizations such as the PRI and Wall Street and we can start a dialog
ReplyDeleteIts kind of hard for a policeman in Mexico to go after PRI or Wall Street, but these few cops made a start on stopping "beating the shit out of the innocent population" when they refused to carry out their superiors orders "to f**k them up" (speaking of the protestors.
DeleteThe first step is always the hardest (but it gets easier after you have started). Lets hope this standing up for what is right will expand to a lot of other cops.
It applies to all law enforcement around the world. Mexico is just the extreme end of things but generally it's all the same be it in Italy or Mozambique or China or the good ole US of A. They're even killing white people nowadays.....no not really......but they are beating the shit out of them. :)
DeleteWhite people do not like being beaten up by cops or national guard, on army, even Douglas McArthur participated in military actions leading the cavalry against his own soldiers protesting after they won WWI for him and his government.
DeleteThat is how the US government repays the sacrifices of its own soldiers...
To equate the use of excessive police force with Eichmann and the spurious claims of the Nurmburg trials is to turn a blind eye to the history of how WW2 was initiated and the real reason for the rise of National Socialism in Germany at the time. The same tribe, which took over the central bank in the US in 1913, controls much of the world's wealth and dictates domestic and foreign policy wherever their usurping tentacles are attached. They have usurped most of the wealth and national sovereignty of the world by deception, continuous genocide, destabilization and constant regime changes.
ReplyDeletehttp://justice4germans.com/2013/07/03/the-kaufman-and-morgenthau-plans-to-exterminate-the-germans-prior-to-during-and-after-ww-ii/
http://thegreateststorynevertold.tv/
--70 years after the end of WWII, nazis in Ukrainia, are still demanding proof of their genocide and concentration camps...
Delete--About 30 later, Emilio chuayffet chemor is still demanding proof of his guilt in the butchering of Acteal/Chenalhó that cost him his job and the presidency of mexico, to save zedillo's jundillo...
--70 years later, the US is working with the nazis.isis, Kaibiles to dominate ate the world, their Atlacatl battalion still may get called back to serve...
--70 years later, the rat line nazi escapees have transformed LatinAmerica into their drug trafficking heaven...
Not that many comments on this one. Wonder why
ReplyDeleteThe banality of evil?
ReplyDeleteAlways the bad apples that ruin everything for the rest. How d ya like them apples.
ReplyDeleteIt is very simple. If they operate honestly, for real, and in a ethical manner, they will not be seen as enemies. Which may not be so simple (after all; it requires enough force to withstand threats
ReplyDeleteCan't be much worse than the cops here in the states.
ReplyDeleteAmerican cops have been made into criminals, highly paid, to be at the beck and call of their masters, they also get whatever weapons they don't even need or want, but amerikkkan weapons manufacturers need the centavos...
DeleteA mexicanPolice force kidnaps a lot of kids and nobody says anything. One American cop shoots a black guy because hes not following orders. AND EVERVBODY LOOSES THERE MINDS
DeleteThey are seen as the enemy, because many times...they have been the enemy. How many civilians have 'went missing', never to be heard from again, because the police took them away? How many entire police forces, have been closed down..because of corruption? Glad to read that someone, finally done the right thing. However, he was always supposed to be doing the right thing. Guess he had to start sometime, somewhere...now is a good as time as any i suppose. Now, if he can just get all the others to follow, it will be a better, safer place to live and work. Good story DD...you always do good work!
ReplyDelete