On Sept. 16, some 25,000 gathered at Mexico City's main plaza, the Zócalo, where President Felipe Calderón delivered the traditional grito—three shouts of "Viva Mexico!"—to celebrate the 1810 uprising that resulted a decade later in independence from Spain. But bicentennial celebrations were canceled in several municipalities across the country for fear of violence, as narco gangs escalate their brutal internecine warfare. "This is not a time to celebrate, but to lament," said Victor Quintana, a federal lawmaker (PRD) in Chihuahua [2] state. (Reuters [3], The Telegraph [4], Sept. 16)
The occasion was marked by controversy in some locales north of the border as well. A decision by the city of Beaverton, Oregon, to celebrate the Mexican bicentennial sparked a backlash from anti-immigration activists. Local right-wing radio host Lars Larson [5] devoted an entire to show to protesting that the city spent $6,000 for the bicentennial celebration. "This is America, not Mexico," said Larson (evidently in need of a geography lesson, as Mexico is clearly part of Latin America). (Terra USA [6], Sept. 16; The Oregonian [7], Sept. 3)
See our last posts on Mexico [8] and the politics of immigration [9].
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