Protesters take to the streets in Mexico
by digby
This will be happening all over the world, I have no doubt. (Well, there may be a few countries run by Trumpian strongmen like the Philippines that won’t be able to …)
Mexicans have held massive protests against US President Donald Trump, hitting back at his anti-Mexican rhetoric and vows to make Mexico pay for a “big, beautiful” border wall between the two countries.
Marches got under way on Sunday in some 20 cities across the country, including the capital, Mexico City, where thousands of people were expected to flood a central avenue dressed in white and waving the red, white and green of the Mexican flag.
Dozens of universities, business associations and civic organisations are backing the protest.
“It is time we citizens combine forces and unite our voices to show our indignation and rejection of President Trump, while contributing to the search for concrete solutions,” said the coalition behind the marches.
US-Mexican relations have plunged to their lowest point in decades since Trump took office on January 20 .
Trump, who launched his presidential campaign calling Mexican immigrants “criminals” and “rapists,” has infuriated the US’ southern neighbour.
He also announced plans to stop illegal immigration by building a wall on the border and make Mexico pay for it .
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto cancelled a January 31 trip to Washington over Trump’s insistence that Mexico pay for the wall.
Trump has also wrought havoc on the Mexican economy with his threats to terminate the country’s privileged trade relationship with the US, blaming Mexico for the loss of jobs in the country.
The Mexican peso has taken a beating nearly every time Trump insisted on renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), attacked carmakers and other companies that manufacture in Mexico, or vowed to slap steep tariffs on Mexican-made goods.
This may steel the resolve of Mexico’s political leadership to resist. And then … who knows? The last we heard, Trump was threatening to send troops over the border:
“You have a bunch of bad hombres down there. You aren’t doing enough to stop them. I think your military is scared. Our military isn’t, so I just might send them down to take care of it.”
The White House said he was just kidding. I’ll bet the Mexican president laughed and laughed. It’s always funny when some raging nutcase says your military is a bunch of cowards and threatens to invade. Hilarious stuff.
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