Farmers from the Quecholac region of Puebla blocked the Acatzingo-Ciudad Mendoza Highway for 31 hours, leaving hundreds of trucks and vehicles stranded between kilometers 165 and 185.
According to the participants, the demonstration was in protest against the approval of the General Water Law, although government sources asserted that it was a mobilization encouraged by Antonio Martínez Fuentes, alias “El Toñín,” whom law enforcement officials identify as one of the main leaders of fuel theft in central Mexico.
The alleged intervention of Martínez Fuentes, father of Guadalupe Martínez Gerardo, mayor of Quecholac, the town where the blockade took place, sparked a confrontation on social media between him and the state Secretary of the Interior, Samuel Aguilar Pala. In a video, El Toñín confronted the official, claiming he had arrogantly ordered the mayor to remove the protesters:
“Have some respect, you bastard. Maybe you have daughters too. Have some respect, you bastard, you’re in power today. Don’t forget that,” the alleged fuel thief shouted, while slamming his hand on a glass table. Antonio Martínez appeared in the recording accompanied by the mayor.
According to Guadalupe Martínez, on Tuesday afternoon she received a phone call from Aguilar Pala’s secretary, demanding that she address and resolve the protest.
The mayor explained that she told the Secretary of the Interior that she “had nothing to do with the demonstration” in response to Aguilar Pala’s accusations that her father, Antonio Martínez, was behind the protest and the highway blockade. She asserted that she felt “intimidated” by the state official’s reaction.
In a statement, the official responsible for internal affairs in the state responded that he had requested information from the mayor regarding the reason for the demonstration and emphasized that his job is to guarantee governance and social stability. Aguilar Pala stated that he was unaware if “the fate of Quecholac is being managed by someone other than the municipal authority.”
The public official denied any threats against local authorities. He also reiterated his willingness to engage in dialogue with residents and representatives of Quecholac to address concerns and contribute to social peace.
The protest began at noon on Tuesday at kilometer 185 of the highway also known as the Puebla-Orizaba Highway. Federal Roads and Bridges reported around 7:20 p.m. this Wednesday that the protesters were leaving.
According to official reports, approximately 70 tractors and more than 100 farmers from Puebla, Tlaxcala, and Veracruz set up a roadblock on both lanes of the highway near the town of Palmarito Tochapan, which belongs to the municipality of Quecholac, the hometown of Martínez Fuentes.
The demonstration caused traffic jams stretching from kilometer 165 to 185, according to truckers. The protesters expressed their opposition to the reform of the General Water Law and demanded support from federal and state governments for the agricultural sector.
Source: jornada
