Borderland Beat posted by DD Republished in English from Mexico Daily News, Original in Spanish from Milenio
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DD. At the Nurmberg War Crime Trials following World War Two, many of the defendants claimed they were not guilty because "they were just following orders". Occasionally, the Nuremberg Defense is referred to as the Eichmann defense. Adolf Eichmann was one of the most prominent Nazis to use this defense at his trial (held in Israel in 1961).
In his defense Eichmann said:
"... . It was my misfortune to become entangled in these atrocities. But these misdeeds did not happen according to my wishes. It was not my wish to slay people. . . . Once again I would stress that I am guilty of having been obedient, having subordinated myself to my official duties and the obligations of ... service and my oath of allegiance and my oath of office, . . . I did not persecute Jews with avidity and passion. That is what the government did. . . . At that time obedience was demanded, just as in the future it will also be demanded of the subordinate."
That defense didn't work very well for Eichmann nor most of those accused of war crimes.
While the circumstances and conditions in Nazi Germany and in Mexico today are very different I believe the mindset of many Mexico police was much like the "I was just following orders" when they have committed atrocities and abused human rights (especially "forced disappearances" and torture). Granted there are many corrupt cops who are on the payroll of the criminals and do as ordered by them, there must be many who are otherwise good people who justify what they do because their superiors ordered them to do so. That is the only way they could sleep with themselves at night.
The following story may illustrate that that mentality is changing. While some of these cops didn't obey orders due to concern for their own safety, others questioned the validity of their superior's orders. If that mentality spreads in the law enforcement community in Mexico, it could be a chink in the very foundation of authoritarian government that depends on absolute power to rule.
Mexico News Daily | Tuesday, April 14, 2015
(Original story in Spanish from Milenio by Rogelio Augustin Esteban)
El periodismo necesita inversión. Comparte este artículo utilizando los íconos que aparecen en la página. La reproducción de este contenido sin autorización previa está prohibida.
El periodismo necesita inversión. Comparte este artículo utilizando los íconos que aparecen en la página. La reproducción de este contenido sin autorización previa está prohibida.
On April 9, police in the state of Guerrero were ordered to use violence against demonstrators taking part in a labor strike. In a surprising turn of events, the police disobeyed the orders of their superiors and afterwards filed a complaint with the public prosecutor’s office over their superiors’ conduct and lack of concern for officer safety.
State riot police sent in by local governments to contain demonstrators have consistently suffered defeats, been forced out of areas where they were outnumbered by protesters and even suffered injuries at the hands of activists. Many police officers, tired of being perceived as enemies of the people and put at risk by their seemingly indifferent superiors, are beginning to speak out.
Officers in Guerrero set a precedent on that night of April 9 when they refused orders from superiors to go after the protesters in order to “fuck them up.”
José Alberto Valenzo, a state police officer who assumed leadership of the 35 riot police who refused to obey orders, argues that police are constantly called into dangerous situations in which they are outnumbered by angry protesters who consistently react to police intervention with violence, causing injuries to officers, and disillusioning many more.
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| On Thursday, several policemen were beaten by protesters. (José Hernández / Cuartoscuro) |
“It feels hopeless knowing that a co-worker with whom you spend so much time is being attacked, and that the protesters, because of their own stress, have reacted with violence against them,” said Valenza.
“The truth is that there is a lot of stress. Most of the time we’re sent to a demonstration completely outnumbered and therefore protesters attack us,” laments one of Valenza’s fellow officers. “I have five children, all of them minors. If I get injured or suspended, what are they going to eat? No one is going to take care of them.”
Police complain that whenever there is a protest they are almost always viewed as the enemy, and are often put into dangerous situations without proper protection.
“The truth is it shouldn’t be like this; we do everything we can to respect the protesters’ human rights.”
They claim that on more than one occasion they have been used as bait by their superiors, who sent them into dangerous and heated situations.
Tensions in the region increased after the events of September 26 and 27, 2014, when students of the teachers’ college in Ayotzinapa were attacked, abducted and killed in the city of Iguala.
What happened in Tixtla and Iguala is typical of the many problems police face every day, said Valenzo.
n April 9, police in the state of Guerrero were ordered to use violence against demonstrators taking part in a labor strike. In a surprising turn of events, the police disobeyed the orders of their superiors and afterwards filed a complaint with the public prosecutor’s office over their superiors’ conduct and lack of concern for officer safety. - See more at: http://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/police-tired-seen-enemies/?utm_source=Mexico+News+Daily&utm_campaign=67a68aa555-Apr.+14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f1536a3787-67a68aa555-349444589#sthash.4F2MEeZj.dpuf
On April 9, police in the state of Guerrero were ordered to use violence against demonstrators taking part in a labor strike. In a surprising turn of events, the police disobeyed the orders of their superiors and afterwards filed a complaint with the public prosecutor’s office over their superiors’ conduct and lack of concern for officer safety.
State riot police sent in by local governments to contain demonstrators have consistently suffered defeats, been forced out of areas where they were outnumbered by protesters and even suffered injuries at the hands of activists. Many police officers, tired of being perceived as enemies of the people and put at risk by their seemingly indifferent superiors, are beginning to speak out.
Officers in Guerrero set a precedent on that night of April 9 when they refused orders from superiors to go after the protesters in order to “fuck them up.”
José Alberto Valenzo, a state police officer who assumed leadership of the 35 riot police who refused to obey orders, argues that police are constantly called into dangerous situations in which they are outnumbered by angry protesters who consistently react to police intervention with violence, causing injuries to officers, and disillusioning many more.
“It feels hopeless knowing that a co-worker with whom you spend so much time is being attacked, and that the protesters, because of their own stress, have reacted with violence against them,” said Valenza.
“The truth is that there is a lot of stress. Most of the time we’re sent to a demonstration completely outnumbered and therefore protesters attack us,” laments one of Valenza’s fellow officers. “I have five children, all of them minors. If I get injured or suspended, what are they going to eat? No one is going to take care of them.”
Police complain that whenever there is a protest they are almost always viewed as the enemy, and are often put into dangerous situations without proper protection.
They claim that on more than one occasion they have been used as bait by their superiors, who sent them into dangerous and heated situations.
Tensions in the region increased after the events of September 26 and 27, 2014, when students of the teachers’ college in Ayotzinapa were attacked, abducted and killed in the city of Iguala.
What happened in Tixtla and Iguala is typical of the many problems police face every day, said Valenzo.
Source: Milenio (sp)
- See more at: http://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/police-tired-seen-enemies/?utm_source=Mexico+News+Daily&utm_campaign=67a68aa555-Apr.+14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f1536a3787-67a68aa555-349444589#sthash.4F2MEeZj.dpuf
State riot police sent in by local governments to contain demonstrators have consistently suffered defeats, been forced out of areas where they were outnumbered by protesters and even suffered injuries at the hands of activists. Many police officers, tired of being perceived as enemies of the people and put at risk by their seemingly indifferent superiors, are beginning to speak out.
Officers in Guerrero set a precedent on that night of April 9 when they refused orders from superiors to go after the protesters in order to “fuck them up.”
José Alberto Valenzo, a state police officer who assumed leadership of the 35 riot police who refused to obey orders, argues that police are constantly called into dangerous situations in which they are outnumbered by angry protesters who consistently react to police intervention with violence, causing injuries to officers, and disillusioning many more.
When workers raided the facilities of judicial authorities in the major cities of the state on April 9, police in Acapulco tasked with crowd control agreed to a non-aggression pact with the workers. But in Tixtla and Iguala fellow officers were overtaken by protesters throwing sticks and stones and engaging in hand-to-hand combat.
“It feels hopeless knowing that a co-worker with whom you spend so much time is being attacked, and that the protesters, because of their own stress, have reacted with violence against them,” said Valenza.
“The truth is that there is a lot of stress. Most of the time we’re sent to a demonstration completely outnumbered and therefore protesters attack us,” laments one of Valenza’s fellow officers. “I have five children, all of them minors. If I get injured or suspended, what are they going to eat? No one is going to take care of them.”
Police complain that whenever there is a protest they are almost always viewed as the enemy, and are often put into dangerous situations without proper protection.
“The truth is it shouldn’t be like this; we do everything we can to respect the protesters’ human rights.”
They claim that on more than one occasion they have been used as bait by their superiors, who sent them into dangerous and heated situations.
Tensions in the region increased after the events of September 26 and 27, 2014, when students of the teachers’ college in Ayotzinapa were attacked, abducted and killed in the city of Iguala.
What happened in Tixtla and Iguala is typical of the many problems police face every day, said Valenzo.
Source: Milenio (sp)
- See more at: http://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/police-tired-seen-enemies/?utm_source=Mexico+News+Daily&utm_campaign=67a68aa555-Apr.+14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f1536a3787-67a68aa555-349444589#sthash.4F2MEeZj.dpuf
On April 9, police in the state of Guerrero were ordered to use violence against demonstrators taking part in a labor strike. In a surprising turn of events, the police disobeyed the orders of their superiors and afterwards filed a complaint with the public prosecutor’s office over their superiors’ conduct and lack of concern for officer safety.
State riot police sent in by local governments to contain demonstrators have consistently suffered defeats, been forced out of areas where they were outnumbered by protesters and even suffered injuries at the hands of activists. Many police officers, tired of being perceived as enemies of the people and put at risk by their seemingly indifferent superiors, are beginning to speak out.
Officers in Guerrero set a precedent on that night of April 9 when they refused orders from superiors to go after the protesters in order to “fuck them up.”
José Alberto Valenzo, a state police officer who assumed leadership of the 35 riot police who refused to obey orders, argues that police are constantly called into dangerous situations in which they are outnumbered by angry protesters who consistently react to police intervention with violence, causing injuries to officers, and disillusioning many more.
“It feels hopeless knowing that a co-worker with whom you spend so much time is being attacked, and that the protesters, because of their own stress, have reacted with violence against them,” said Valenza.
“The truth is that there is a lot of stress. Most of the time we’re sent to a demonstration completely outnumbered and therefore protesters attack us,” laments one of Valenza’s fellow officers. “I have five children, all of them minors. If I get injured or suspended, what are they going to eat? No one is going to take care of them.”
Police complain that whenever there is a protest they are almost always viewed as the enemy, and are often put into dangerous situations without proper protection.
They claim that on more than one occasion they have been used as bait by their superiors, who sent them into dangerous and heated situations.
Tensions in the region increased after the events of September 26 and 27, 2014, when students of the teachers’ college in Ayotzinapa were attacked, abducted and killed in the city of Iguala.
What happened in Tixtla and Iguala is typical of the many problems police face every day, said Valenzo.
Source: Milenio (sp)
- See more at: http://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/police-tired-seen-enemies/?utm_source=Mexico+News+Daily&utm_campaign=67a68aa555-Apr.+14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f1536a3787-67a68aa555-349444589#sthash.4F2MEeZj.dpuf
State riot police sent in by local governments to contain demonstrators have consistently suffered defeats, been forced out of areas where they were outnumbered by protesters and even suffered injuries at the hands of activists. Many police officers, tired of being perceived as enemies of the people and put at risk by their seemingly indifferent superiors, are beginning to speak out.
Officers in Guerrero set a precedent on that night of April 9 when they refused orders from superiors to go after the protesters in order to “fuck them up.”
José Alberto Valenzo, a state police officer who assumed leadership of the 35 riot police who refused to obey orders, argues that police are constantly called into dangerous situations in which they are outnumbered by angry protesters who consistently react to police intervention with violence, causing injuries to officers, and disillusioning many more.
When workers raided the facilities of judicial authorities in the major cities of the state on April 9, police in Acapulco tasked with crowd control agreed to a non-aggression pact with the workers. But in Tixtla and Iguala fellow officers were overtaken by protesters throwing sticks and stones and engaging in hand-to-hand combat.
“It feels hopeless knowing that a co-worker with whom you spend so much time is being attacked, and that the protesters, because of their own stress, have reacted with violence against them,” said Valenza.
“The truth is that there is a lot of stress. Most of the time we’re sent to a demonstration completely outnumbered and therefore protesters attack us,” laments one of Valenza’s fellow officers. “I have five children, all of them minors. If I get injured or suspended, what are they going to eat? No one is going to take care of them.”
Police complain that whenever there is a protest they are almost always viewed as the enemy, and are often put into dangerous situations without proper protection.
“The truth is it shouldn’t be like this; we do everything we can to respect the protesters’ human rights.”
They claim that on more than one occasion they have been used as bait by their superiors, who sent them into dangerous and heated situations.
Tensions in the region increased after the events of September 26 and 27, 2014, when students of the teachers’ college in Ayotzinapa were attacked, abducted and killed in the city of Iguala.
What happened in Tixtla and Iguala is typical of the many problems police face every day, said Valenzo.
Source: Milenio (sp)
- See more at: http://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/police-tired-seen-enemies/?utm_source=Mexico+News+Daily&utm_campaign=67a68aa555-Apr.+14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f1536a3787-67a68aa555-349444589#sthash.4F2MEeZj.dpuf
On April 9, police in the state of Guerrero were ordered to use violence against demonstrators taking part in a labor strike. In a surprising turn of events, the police disobeyed the orders of their superiors and afterwards filed a complaint with the public prosecutor’s office over their superiors’ conduct and lack of concern for officer safety.
State riot police sent in by local governments to contain demonstrators have consistently suffered defeats, been forced out of areas where they were outnumbered by protesters and even suffered injuries at the hands of activists. Many police officers, tired of being perceived as enemies of the people and put at risk by their seemingly indifferent superiors, are beginning to speak out.
Officers in Guerrero set a precedent on that night of April 9 when they refused orders from superiors to go after the protesters in order to “fuck them up.”
José Alberto Valenzo, a state police officer who assumed leadership of the 35 riot police who refused to obey orders, argues that police are constantly called into dangerous situations in which they are outnumbered by angry protesters who consistently react to police intervention with violence, causing injuries to officers, and disillusioning many more.
“It feels hopeless knowing that a co-worker with whom you spend so much time is being attacked, and that the protesters, because of their own stress, have reacted with violence against them,” said Valenza.
“The truth is that there is a lot of stress. Most of the time we’re sent to a demonstration completely outnumbered and therefore protesters attack us,” laments one of Valenza’s fellow officers. “I have five children, all of them minors. If I get injured or suspended, what are they going to eat? No one is going to take care of them.”
Police complain that whenever there is a protest they are almost always viewed as the enemy, and are often put into dangerous situations without proper protection.
They claim that on more than one occasion they have been used as bait by their superiors, who sent them into dangerous and heated situations.
Tensions in the region increased after the events of September 26 and 27, 2014, when students of the teachers’ college in Ayotzinapa were attacked, abducted and killed in the city of Iguala.
What happened in Tixtla and Iguala is typical of the many problems police face every day, said Valenzo.
Source: Milenio (sp)
- See more at: http://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/police-tired-seen-enemies/?utm_source=Mexico+News+Daily&utm_campaign=67a68aa555-Apr.+14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f1536a3787-67a68aa555-349444589#sthash.4F2MEeZj.dpuf
State riot police sent in by local governments to contain demonstrators have consistently suffered defeats, been forced out of areas where they were outnumbered by protesters and even suffered injuries at the hands of activists. Many police officers, tired of being perceived as enemies of the people and put at risk by their seemingly indifferent superiors, are beginning to speak out.
Officers in Guerrero set a precedent on that night of April 9 when they refused orders from superiors to go after the protesters in order to “fuck them up.”
José Alberto Valenzo, a state police officer who assumed leadership of the 35 riot police who refused to obey orders, argues that police are constantly called into dangerous situations in which they are outnumbered by angry protesters who consistently react to police intervention with violence, causing injuries to officers, and disillusioning many more.
When workers raided the facilities of judicial authorities in the major cities of the state on April 9, police in Acapulco tasked with crowd control agreed to a non-aggression pact with the workers. But in Tixtla and Iguala fellow officers were overtaken by protesters throwing sticks and stones and engaging in hand-to-hand combat.
“It feels hopeless knowing that a co-worker with whom you spend so much time is being attacked, and that the protesters, because of their own stress, have reacted with violence against them,” said Valenza.
“The truth is that there is a lot of stress. Most of the time we’re sent to a demonstration completely outnumbered and therefore protesters attack us,” laments one of Valenza’s fellow officers. “I have five children, all of them minors. If I get injured or suspended, what are they going to eat? No one is going to take care of them.”
Police complain that whenever there is a protest they are almost always viewed as the enemy, and are often put into dangerous situations without proper protection.
“The truth is it shouldn’t be like this; we do everything we can to respect the protesters’ human rights.”
They claim that on more than one occasion they have been used as bait by their superiors, who sent them into dangerous and heated situations.
Tensions in the region increased after the events of September 26 and 27, 2014, when students of the teachers’ college in Ayotzinapa were attacked, abducted and killed in the city of Iguala.
What happened in Tixtla and Iguala is typical of the many problems police face every day, said Valenzo.
Source: Milenio (sp)
- See more at: http://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/police-tired-seen-enemies/?utm_source=Mexico+News+Daily&utm_campaign=67a68aa555-Apr.+14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f1536a3787-67a68aa555-349444589#sthash.4F2MEeZj.dpuf