Residents of the community of Acachuén, Michoacán, staged a violent protest this Wednesday in the municipal seat of Chilchota, where they stormed the Municipal Hall, burning furniture and spray-painting slogans demanding security. The demonstration escalated to the burning of a delivery vehicle along its route.
The action arose in response to persistent insecurity and the alleged inaction of authorities following an armed attack on May 6, perpetrated by members of organized crime, which claimed the lives of two people in Acachuén. The community members directly accused the mayor, Alejandra Ortiz Suárez, of the Morena party, demanding her resignation.
The most serious accusation against the local authorities centers on the police response during the May 6 attack. Those affected denounced that the Municipal Police arrived at the scene not to assist the community, but to provide support to the attackers.
At the Municipal Palace, protesters broke windows and burned belongings, stating that the violence, attributed to the presence of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and Carteles Unidos, has them trapped in the Purépecha Plateau and other surrounding regions.
The protest in Acachuén sparked acts of solidarity in other areas. In the Cañada de los Once Pueblos (Canyon of the Eleven Towns), residents of Huáncito painted graffiti demanding justice. Additionally, in Morelia, activists and human rights defenders gathered in front of the Government Palace to denounce the negligence and disdain of the Municipal and State governments regarding human rights violations in the community.
The protesters in Morelia warned that the lack of government attention, noting that no authority has appeared in Acachuén, leaves the community unprotected. They warned that if there is no immediate response to the security crisis, they will proceed with stronger and more radical actions.
Up until the time of the protest, the Michoacán government, headed by Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla, had not established an official position or set up a dialogue table with the inhabitants of Acachuén, despite the demands that arose after the armed attack a week ago.
Source: elsoldenayarit
