Mexican ‘civilians’ kidnap soldiers to get confiscated guns back
An incident in the Mexican state of Michoacan, where a group of civilians held a squad of soldiers captive and demanded the return of seized weapons, has sparked national debate, with top politicians expressing opposing opinions.
The tense standoff took place in the municipality of La Huacana, located in the west of the troubled federal state last week. Following a confrontation between the military and unidentified gunmen, the soldiers captured a vehicle and a number of guns. Two civilians, including a minor, were injured by stray bullets during the shootout.
© YouTube / RT
At that point, a mob of civilians surrounded the soldiers, stripped them of weapons and gear, and demanded the return of the weapons and the vehicle.
One video that recently emerged shows soldiers putting up little or no resistance. Other videos show a civilian forcing a soldier to call his superiors and negotiate for the squad’s safe return.
https://twitter.com/Milenio/status/1133085713019412483
The Mexican military eventually agreed to exchange the seized hardware for the soldiers, citing the desire to avoid further hostilities and loss of life.
Criminals or 'self-defense' forces?
The incident sparked debate across Mexico, with sharply opposing opinions. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador praised the soldiers, calling their (in)action "brave" and responsible, since "abusing our fellow people" is "cowardice." At the same time, he admitted the soldiers got themselves into a "difficult" situation. Former president Felipe Calderon, however, called the whole situation unacceptable, stating that the "military also has human rights." The standing presidential orders for the military to not respond to aggressive actions of civilian mobs have to be changed, he argued.
https://twitter.com/FelipeCalderon/status/1132989978219372547
Complicating the situation, the identity of gunmen who prompted the incident remained unclear. While some reports claimed they were members of a drug cartel, others suggested they were actually members of the so-called Autodefensas, a local vigilante militia. The military only described the gunmen as "criminals."
Armed civilian groups have emerged in Mexico in the last decade, during a particularly violent phase of the drug war between the government and narco cartels. The state of Michoacan was the first to have such groups, who were supposed to keep both cartel militants – and, sometimes, the government too – away from local communities.
A former leader of the Autodefensas movement, Jose Manuel Mireles, also weighed in on the incident, rejecting the depiction of the vigilante groups as "criminals." Mireles, who spent several years in prison as the government tried to curb the activities of the vigilantes, warned the government against disturbing the "peace" of the community and focus on other localities plagued with murders, kidnappings and dismemberments.
Original: https://www.rt.com/news/460783-mexican-civilians-kidnap-soldiers/
In many countries, those people would likely be slaughtered for daring to face off with the military and it might only be a blip on the news, saying that they attacked the military, and they were "forced" to defend themselves or some such. Or they'd be beaten and arrested. It's nice to see a military that refuses to attack it's own people.
There are of course options between excessive violence and no opposition...but that wouldn't have made the news.
The military in Mexico has not always been shown to not attack it's own people. These civilians had little choice, as the military doesn't provide nominal security to them, but seized what means they had of providing that necessary security. They were damned if they did, and damned if they didn't take their weapons back.
It is useful to note that the government and cartels are often accused of collusion, and not only in Mexico.
Thanks!
These people have the right to defend themselves the way they want, and the way the army is always try go there is absurd, if they don't go there, there's no problems.
And even I know there's no big crimes more out, when years ago the government and the local police and the mafia were thrown out from city.
Problems will come there when the government tries to get in there back.
I have a question ... why your RT journalists won't go there and try to live there for a few months to see how this city works :)) Is it very HARD ? :)
The people always have the power. Most just don't know it.
There will be another civil war in that and a good civilization will once again, crash to dirt.
This is the crux of the matter. To civilians both the government and cartels are criminals exploiting them. To the cartel, both the military and civilians are enemies, and to the government, both the cartels and the civilians are criminals. The civilians are the only people whose opinions matter. Both the government and the cartels prey on civilians, and while it is true that I am a civilian and thus biased, the rhetoric of the government claims they defend civilians, and their actions in seizing their means of security are contrary to this, instead revealing the concern of government is only in aggrandizing it's power. Worse is true of the cartels.
Civilians demonstrate no interest in anything but their proper concerns.
Thanks!