Tag Archives: Guadalajara

Mexican protesters clash with police over custody death

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexicans protested against police brutality on Thursday in the second-largest city, Guadalajara, calling for authorities to be held accountable for the death in custody of a local man allegedly arrested over not wearing a face mask in public.

Protests have swelled in cities worldwide since the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white police officer kneeled on his neck in Minneapolis.

Protesters in the historic center of the state capital of Jalisco vandalized buildings, including the palace, and set ablaze several police cars, footage from network Milenio showed. Police were seen using force against protesters.

A media outlet said one of its photographers was kicked out after being mistaken for a protester.

However, the story was ridden with “many lies”, Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro responded in a video message late on Thursday. He denied the man depicted in the video had been held for not using a face mask, but gave no further details.

Alfaro said six police were injured, including one set on fire, with 22 male, and two female, protesters detained. He promised an investigation and condemned the violence, which he described as having been “never before seen”.

Mexico’s deputy minister for human rights requested case files from authorities in Jalisco and Baja California, where there may have been a similar incident in February.

Jalisco has implemented strict measures aimed to curb the spread of the coronavirus; wearing face masks is mandatory.

Although the exact circumstances of the death in Jalisco are not known, footage circulating on social media showed a young man, identified as Giovanni Lopez, being detained by police in early May. Bystanders can be heard saying the police were arresting him for not using a face mask.

Lopez, a construction worker, died in custody, the statement said.

(Reporting by Mexico City Newsroom. Editing by Gerry Doyle)

Freak hailstorm engulfs trucks in Mexican city

A street covered in ice is pictured after a heavy storm of rain and hail in Guadalajara, Mexico June 30, 2019, in this picture grab obtained from a social media video. Picture taken June 30, 2019. Jorge David Arias Flores/via REUTERS

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (Reuters) – Drifts of hail from a freak storm partially buried tractor-trailers and cars in the Mexican city of Guadalajara, bringing families out on to the streets to play in ice piled high despite the summer heat.

Ice is seen on a street after a heavy storm of rain and hail in Guadalajara, Mexico June 30, 2019, in this picture obtained from social media. Picture taken June 30, 2019. Jorge David Arias Flores/via REUTERS

Ice is seen on a street after a heavy storm of rain and hail in Guadalajara, Mexico June 30, 2019, in this picture obtained from social media. Picture taken June 30, 2019. Jorge David Arias Flores/via REUTERS

The storm on Sunday blanketed parts of Mexico’s second largest city in 5 feet of white, Reuters images show. Soldiers and police who took to the streets to help the clear-up operations slid and slipped knee deep into the drifts.

Ice is seen on a street after a heavy storm of rain and hail in Guadalajara, Mexico June 30, 2019, in this picture obtained from social media. Picture taken June 30, 2019. Jorge David Arias Flores/via REUTERS

Ice is seen on a street after a heavy storm of rain and hail in Guadalajara, Mexico June 30, 2019, in this picture obtained from social media. Picture taken June 30, 2019. Jorge David Arias Flores/via REUTERS

Jorge David Arias, who was visiting family, said he and his relatives had never seen a storm like it. Arias shot photos showing cars pushed against trees by the force of the ice.

Guadalajara, in western Mexico, usually sees average temperatures in June of around 31 Celsius (88 Fahrenheit).

(Reporting by Fernando Carranza; Editing by Alistair Bell)