López Obrador exonerates the Army twice 2023/10/06

It must have been 55 years since one of the darkest episodes in the history of Mexico occurred for a President of the Republic to give the bad news to those who, since then, have maintained the narrative that the Mexican Army was primarily responsible for the massacre of students in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas, in 1968.

It certainly wasn't easy for the president. Lopez Obrador exonerate the Army of those events and recognize that the Presidential General Staff did not order the repression of the students, and that those who participated only followed orders from superiors, certainly civilians.

What was done by the President forces history to turn around the tragic events of October 2 and point out that it was rather an attempted coup d'état, an operation designed by the CIA and Washington to, supposedly, dismantle a new communist revolution, influenced and motivated by Cuba and financed by the Soviet Union, communist China and the island of Cuba itself. Fidel Castro.

There are several documentaries that talk about this and show that it was not the soldiers or the EMP who shot at the students, as has been defamed.

As I have always said in this space, the Army has unfairly shouldered the criminal responsibility of the CIA, since the soldiers were received with bullets from the rooftops of the Tlatelolco plaza by infiltrated paramilitaries.

History seems to repeat itself in the case of the 43 normalistas of Ayotzinapa in 2014, in which Lopez Obrador He again exonerated the Army, also exonerating the former president Enrique Pena and to the then secretary of the Sedena, Salvador Cienfuegos under the argument that this event was more related to the criminal association of local authorities, municipal police and organized crime, inevitably approaching the historical truth of Murillo Karam.

Lopez Obrador vehemently defended the Army in both cases, calling it “reckless” to hold it responsible for both the disappearance of the normalistas and the historical events of 1968. This position has found an echo among the population, which shares the defense of the Army, since it recognizes its long history linked to independence, the Revolution and the defense of the country; also, for its patriotic culture, respect for institutions and its role in national security, the fight against organized crime and support for the population in cases of disaster.

Despite the accusations, the Army has maintained an image of discipline, honor and service to the nation, which is why it continues to be one of the best qualified institutions and fundamental for the security and development of the country, which is why it is imperative that history be reviewed with clear lenses and without prejudice.

Blaming the Army is, in many cases, diverting attention from those truly responsible. The exoneration of our soldiers is a step in the right direction, but it is crucial that we go further and rewrite the story of these tragic episodes with the truth.

*As I have reiterated in this column, pre-electoral violence is a worrying reality, hence the two candidates for the Presidency of the Republic, Claudia Sheinbaum from Morena and Xochitl Galvez of the FAM, met with the Secretary of Defense, Luis Cresencio Sandoval and accepted the protection of the Army. And no wonder, the candidates have seen their safety threatened with the recent murders of people close to them. The Sedena proposed a security scheme based on intelligence to prevent risks in areas of greatest danger and each one will have a team made up of officers and troops, with the greatest training coming, without a doubt, from the Presidential General Staff.

IMAGINARY

The Mexican Army was exonerated from the Ayotzinapa case. The FGR must immediately withdraw the accusations against the 16 imprisoned soldiers, accused of participating in the disappearance of the 43 students.