AMLO attacks after Europe calls for restraint in rhetoric against media; AMLO calls them sheep

Resolution criticizing president draws swift and unsubtle attack 

Date: March 11th, 2022

Source: Mexico News Daily

The European Parliament (EP) condemned the harassment and killing of journalists and human rights defenders in Mexico Thursday, drawing an extraordinarily blunt reply from the president’s office that likened European lawmakers to sheep.

The federal government responded by accusing European lawmakers of “corruption, lies and hypocrisy” and describing them as misinformed sheep following the lead of its adversaries.

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Journalists rally to defend newspaper in face of ongoing attacks by government

07/30/2021

Source: Mexico News Daily

More than 100 columnists and other contributors to El Universal have put their names to an open letter to President López Obrador to defend themselves and the newspaper in the face of ongoing attacks by the federal government.

“The president of Mexico has mentioned El Universal and its columnists and contributors on several occasions, sowing the idea that all criticism of his administration has an interest unconnected to journalism,” the letter said.

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Mexico Makes Its Olympic Baseball Debut Against the Dominican Republic

07/30/2021

Source: The New York Times

Mexico, a country where soccer reigns supreme, has nonetheless produced former baseball stars like Fernando Valenzuela, Bobby Ávila and Vinny Castilla. None of them played in the Olympics.

Baseball has been absent from the Games for 13 years, and Mexico had never qualified for the tournament when it was played.

That changed on Friday, when Mexico made its Olympic debut against the Dominican Republic at Yokohama Baseball Stadium, instilling a sense of national pride back home and hope that the sport could assume a higher profile there as well.

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Mexican president under fire for defending politician accused of rape

02/24/2021

Source: The Guardian

A growing row over a gubernatorial candidate facing accusations of rape has once again pitted Mexico’s populist president against women’s rights campaigners.

Félix Salgado Macedonio has registered to run for governor in southern Guerrero state with the ruling Morena party, despite accusations of sexual violence and rape by five women dating back as far as 1998.

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Mexico to require appeals on social media account blocking

09/02/2021

Source: Yahoo! News

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The party of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador presented for public comment a proposed set of regulations on Twitter, Facebook and other social media companies, a move that drew criticism Tuesday.

The new law proposed Monday by López Obrador’s Morena party would open the companies to fines of up to $4.4 million for violating users’ right to free speech. The law would apply only to platforms that have over one million users in Mexico, apparently covering only sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or YouTube.

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Mexican president mounts campaign against social media bans

1/14/2021

Source: The Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president vowed Thursday to lead an international effort to combat what he considers censorship by social media companies that have blocked or suspended the accounts of U.S. President Donald Trump.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration is reaching out to other government to form a common front on the issue.

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Statue of Liberty is ‘green with anger’: Mexico president slams media curbs

1/13/2021

Source: Yahoo! News

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Wednesday stepped up his criticism of restrictions on freedom of expression following moves by leading social media firms to suspend U.S. President Donald Trump’s access to their platforms.

Without mentioning Trump by name, Lopez Obrador said it was not right that private companies should appoint themselves arbiters of what was acceptable for global consumption.

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Mexican regulators ban showing president’s full conferences

1/13/2021

Source: The Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s election regulatory agency announced Tuesday it will ban media outlets from transmitting at full length President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s daily morning news conferences.

The temporary ban is aimed at ensuring equity in the country’s June congressional and state elections, after opposition parties complained that López Obrador uses the conferences to tout his public works projects and criticize opponents.

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Mexico is poised to legalize marijuana, but advocates don’t like the details

11/08/2020

Source: The Washington Post

MEXICO CITY — It’s the moment for which advocates of legal marijuana here have been waiting: Mexican lawmakers, working under a court order, have until mid-December to finalize rules that will make the country the world’s largest market for legal pot.

Advocates have long argued that legalization would put a dent in the black market; allow for safe, regulated consumption; create jobs; and cut down on crime.

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Film trailer touches a nerve as Mexico grapples with race and class

10/15/2020

Source: The Gaurdian

The scene is a society wedding in Mexico, where smartly dressed guests are toasting the newlyweds in the grounds of a luxury home. But the celebration is interrupted by a group of interlopers, and the scene quickly descends into violence and terror.

The dystopian tone continues throughout the two-minute clip promoting the movie New Order, which depicts the imposition of military rule in Mexico after a bloody uprising by the country’s underclass.

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