The right-wing politician called on Mexicans to defend democracy and pointed out that López Obrador’s government disguises itself as democratic.
The deputy for Barcelona, Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo, criticized President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s government for embracing criminals with its “hugs, not bullets” policy.
In her speech at the Ideas Fair 2024, held in Puebla, the historian, journalist, and spokesperson for the civic association Libres e Iguales, called on Mexicans to defend democracy and attacked President López Obrador’s government, accusing it of masquerading as democratic.
“Defend democracy, well, do more than that, become true militants of Mexican democracy […] Surveys around the world are worrying, also in Latin America, many young people are starting to disengage from democracy and its institutions.
“There they are, the Trojan donkeys of democracy ride on the back of ignorance and polarization, they disguise themselves as democrats to burst democracy from within, they call for elections, yes, but then they rig them behind the scenes, buy votes and such, they accept that there is something called opposition, something called Legislative Power and something called Judicial Power, worse, then they tie them up, subdue them, and obfuscate them,” she expressed.
She also expressed her excitement for the marches in defense of the National Electoral Institute (INE) and pointed out that “this is the path of democratic militancy.”
She criticized the Mexican government for appeasing organized crime under President López Obrador’s “hugs, not bullets” strategy, claiming that thousands of young people are killing and dying as they join criminal organizations and as a consequence of it.
“I will speak to you clearly […] because I believe the circumstances demand it, Mexico, this formidable country, this admirable nation, this impressive economic and cultural power is being taken not by organized crime, but by the complacency of those who should defend it, ‘hugs, not bullets’ or rather ‘hugs to those who shoot,’ the slogan is nice, but the result is catastrophic, catastrophic for democracy and above all, for the youth, thousands of Mexican youths are killing and dying […] and this is not only the responsibility of the criminals, but also mainly of those who govern and apply security policies,” she said.
The Spanish right-wing politician mentioned that the “policy of embrace” is just a mix of incapacity and connivance.
“When a government does not appreciate or underestimates the law, when a government decides to cradle crime gently, when a government conveys the fallacy that prisons are bastions of an authoritarian and repressive culture, when a government allows criminals to go unpunished or in some cases even makes deals with them, crime advances, thrives, takes over institutions, attracts new vocations, becomes a shortcut for lost youths, a shortcut to the abyss.
“They call it the policy of embrace what is nothing more than a lethal mix, I must say, of incapacity and connivance and they also say that there is no alternative and I want to say that there is,” she emphasized.
She called on Mexican youth to be rebellious and politicians to be brave to defeat organized crime.
“Organized crime can indeed be defeated, only two things are needed, brave politicians and rebellious youth,” she specified.
Source: El Universal
