The Mexican government has issued an irate response to European Union criticism of journalist killings in Mexico, and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador accused European Parliament members Friday of having a “colonialist mentality.”
(Reuters).- The open letter sent late Thursday criticized EU support for Ukraine, and called European Parliament members “sheep.”
“It is unfortunate that you vote like sheep to join the reactionary and coup-mongering strategy of the corrupt group opposed to the Fourth Transformation,” as López Obrador calls his administration. The president acknowledged he wrote the letter himself.
The EU Parliament approved a resolution Thursday urging López Obrador to stop his harsh verbal attacks on reporters who criticize him, and ensure their safety. The resolution passed by 607 to 2, with 73 abstentions.
A record seven journalists have been murdered in Mexico in two months, making it the most dangerous country in the world for press workers. Press groups say López Obrador’s daily criticisms of journalists, whom he calls “conservatives” and “mercenaries,” make them more vulnerable to violence.
López Obrador claimed erroneously Friday that only five journalists have been killed so far this year. He said suspects have been arrested in four of those cases.
López Obrador is a proud nationalist who angrily rejects any outside criticism of Mexico. He has lashed out at nongovernmental organizations that receive foreign funding.
His new letter even pulled European backing for Ukraine into the issue. López Obrador’s administration has steadfastly refused to impose sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine and he has limited himself to appeals for peace on all sides.
“Mexico is a pacifist country that has opted for nonviolence and we support dialogue, not war; we don’t send weapons to any country under any circumstance, not like what you are doing now,” the Mexican letter states.
López Obrador has frequently tangled with Spain, demanding an apology for the cruelties of the 1521 conquest of Mexico, something which Spain has never issued.
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