Cops against cops at Mexico City airport.
News
Protesting Federal
Police clash with
Mexico City cops
at airport
60 officers from both forces
were injured in the confrontation
Federal Police officers who continue
to protest against having to join the
new National Guard clashed on
Tuesday with Mexico City police
outside the Mexico City airport.
About 60 police, including 32 on the
city force, were injured in a violent
confrontation on the Circuito Interior
freeway outside Terminal 1.
Mexico City Police Chief Omar
García Harfuch said that seven
officers were taken to hospital but
none was in serious condition. He
accused federal officers of throwing
2 tear gas grenades at Mexico City
police and said that another 22 gas
grenades were seized.
About 1,200 Federal Police officers
began blocking Circuito Interior
shortly after 10:00am to demand
compensation from the government
because they don’t want to join the
National Guard when the force is
disbanded.
About 400 city police tried to dismantle
the blockade, triggering a violent
response. Officers from both forces
were briefly detained by their opposite
numbers.
Federal Police said that some of the
officers they detained were armed, a
claim that was denied by Mexico City
authorities.
After the initial clash, an additional
300 Mexico City police arrived at the
scene along with Harfuch, who initiated
talks with protest leaders. But the talks
quickly broke down and the Federal
Police refused to lift their blockade.
The violence restarted within minutes,
the newspaper El Universal reported. Mexico
City police responded to the throwing
of tear gas grenades by launching the
same at their federal counterparts.
Reporters and civilians were also
affected by the gas.
Police maintained their blockade for
more than six hours, causing traffic
haos outside the airport. Some people
missed their flights, El Financiero reported,
while others were escorted to the airport
by police so they could arrive on time.
The federal Security Secretariat of
Security (SSPC), which has responsibility
for the Federal Police, condemned the
blockade and violence.
Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said the
operation to break up the blockade
was a success although she conceded
that police protocols for responding to
protests could be improved.
President López Obrador weighed in
n the clash this morning, suggesting
that it was no coincidence that police
staged their protest outside the airport
on the day that former Bolivian president
Evo Morales arrived to take up an offer of political
asylum.
“There continues to be a lot of
provocation. It’s not possible, it’s
not a coincidence that Evo arrives
and at the same time they’ve organized
a protest. It’s not spontaneous, there is
someone that is rocking the cradle,”
he said.
“. . . I’ve given instructions for there to
be dialogue, for [officers] that don’t
want to go into the National Guard to
be paid off. We’re not dismissing anyone
but we can’t have officers [in the National
Guard] without a good track record.
We have to have honest, professional
people who are not linked to illegal
acts,” López Obrador added.
Federal Police have staged several
protests against their transfer including
one in September that blocked the Circuito
Interior outside the airport for almost
nine hours.
