Slandering Lopez Obrador over the Ayotzinapa/Iguala massacre

Right now in Mexico the media machinery is maligning with all they have main leftist leader Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) charging him with the Iguala massacre while covering up President Enrique Peña Nieto.

Most of Mexican media as well as political pundits -organic intellectuals as Gramsci called them- are right wing leaning. Most of them clearly biased, and some other pretend they are not but when the Status quo is in trouble, they add up to support the Regime. One of these moments is happening now

This Organic Intellectuals and politicians of the right wing ruling parties say AMLO is accountable for the rise to power of Jose Luis Abarca, the Mayor of the Iguala, the city where the massacre took place. Their case rest upon 2 pieces of evidence: (1) pictures of AMLO and the former Mayor of Iguala City and (2) the testimonial of a Deputy who claims he tipped off AMLO about the law-breaking activities of the former Mayor and he did nothing about it.

During the first weeks after the massacre, the media was asking why AMLO had not reacted about former Mayor Jose Luis Abarca, indicted for the massacre. The complaint was AMLO's silence. On October 14, 2014 AMLO said during a speech at Columbia University he did not supported the campaign of Angel Aguirre to be Governor of the State of Guerrero, where the massacre took place. On October 26^th 20014 in front of thousands of supporters in the Zocalo, the main square of Mexico, AMLO restated he didn't supported Abarca in any way and requested the impeachment of President Enrique Peña Nieto for the Ayotzinapa/Iguala Massacre

Now let's take a look at the evidences pandered by the media

1. The pictures of AMLO and former Mayor Jose Luis Abarca. It's customary for politicians during campaign to take selfies with anyone who request it. AMLO is a tireless politician that has traveled across Mexico more than 4 or 5 times, which no one else have done. In one day he can travel 3 cities rallying crowds in every one. AMLO has allowed people to take pictures of him whenever requested. Because of his popularity many politicians ask for a selfie with AMLO as if a celebrity even if it's not time of elections.
   
   
   
    
   Former Major Jose Luis Abarca requested selfies with AMLO, that's what right wing media says, but what they hide is the selfie of the former Mayor with President Enrique Peña Nieto. However the Mexican media is portraying the selfies of AMLO as an extraordinary evidence which can only be explained by the complicit of AMLO
2. The alleged tip-off about the criminal activities of Mayor Jose Luis Abarca. The newspaper Reforma published a testimony of a Deputy who says he tipped -off AMLO about the allegiance of Mayor of Iguala and a drug cartel. This Deputy is Oscar Diaz Bello, he was interviewed by a well known right wing broadcaster Adela Micha a few days ago. This deputy said back in 2012, he was the front runner for the nomination of the PRD party for Iguala City, however the party chose Jose Luis Abarca and not him. He thought this was unfair, and wanted to share his dissatisfaction with AMLO who was then the Presidential candidate of the PRD party. He took the chance in one of the many times AMLO visited Iguala City, as usual rallying hundreds to the streets
   This deputy went on saying, he couldn't come near to him, however he managed to put himself in front of the AMLO's van while leaving the city and forced AMLO to roll down the window. AMLo was driving and the deputy talked to him for minutes. He told him he was the front runner and he deserved to be the PRD nominee, what was his main concern. AMLO replied he cannot do anything because nominations were decided by the new leaders of the PRD party. Deputy Diaz Bello acknowledges AMLO was right, the nominations were in the hands of the leaders of the PRD party, specifically he names: (Jesus)“Zambrano”
   Deputy Bello said he gave AMLO a newspaper article – just one. That article was from Proceso Magazine, where apparently linked Former Mayor Abarca with a drug cartel. The Deputy acknowledges the information contained in the newspaper article he gave to AMLO, have not been confirmed in any way. He didn't trust it either so as to put it in the hands of authorities to start and inquiry.
   Right wing written accounts state that AMLO shook hands with former mayor Jose Luis Abarca that day, however Deputy Bello says he can't remember if that happened, and it would be lying if he says so

AMLO was member of the PRD party till 2012, but he was at odds with the PRD leaders since 2006, when a faction -”Los Chuchos”- supported the right wing privatizing agenda, in a change considered by many, tantamount to betrayal of the principles of the PRD. Despite his huge popularity among PRD adherents, AMLO had little influence on decisions taken by PRD leaders after 2006. The PRD came to a brief truce with AMLO for the 2012 Presidential elections, this respite ended right after the election when AMLO left for good the PRD and decided to create a new party: MORENA. So its unlikely AMLO had anything to do with the local nominees of the PRD.

AMLO was and is a citizen, a very remarkable one, but he cannot take justice in his hands. He cannot dispatch a party to investigate allegations of corruption. It's not he don't want, it's he just can't. His resources are limited. What right media don't say is there are a Judicial branch of the Government who has the resources and the legal mandate to prosecute crimes and investigate this kind of tip-offs. Rene Bejarano another PRD politician also gave a tip off to the Atorney General of Mexico about crimes committed by former mayor Abarca, however this is silenced by right wing media which is concentrated on a barrage against AMLO.

Former Mayor of Iguala is a fugitive and at large at least that's what our government says. But I wouldn't be surprised if he were negotiating a lessened prison term in exchange for incriminating or smearing AMLO at least

A lesson on Ethics from Gabriel Garcia Marquez to Excelsior and La Razon about the Lopez Obrador travel to Italy

On April 22, 2014 several respectable online websites: Excelsior, La Razon posted a picture of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador allegedly in Italy. Columnists wonder how much did the travel cost, where did the money come from, and why he didn't use that money to help the poor

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) is the most important leftist leader in Mexico, 2 times presidential candidate and appointed candidate for next elections on 2018. Over last 14 years he had been slandered in Mexican media, treated with contemptuous rudeness by journalist like no one else.

The source of this picture is an otherwise unknown twitter user named: Jesus Soberon. He tweeted her niece "found" AMLO in Italy on April 18, 2014. He doesn't specify if her niece is on the picture. He doesn't say where exactly this picture was taken. This user Jesus Soberon is not available for questioning because his account is private. This single unconfirmed twitter report made the headlines.

The “news” of the travel of Lopez Obrador was broadcasted by TV too. Media says it's not on them to ask further questions but just spread the word. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Nobel laureate writer and journalist wrote on a short essay called “Journalist: The best Job of the World”

“... investigation is not just an specialty of the job but all journalism must be investigative by definition, the consciousness that ethics is not an occasional condition, but must always accompany journalism like buzz to hornets..”

More than a week later neither La Razón nor Excelsior have made a breakthrough on the story, they could have asked for an official statement from Lopez Obrador, the Mexican Government and airline companies, but apparently they chose not. They stay just with the tweet, yet they make assumptions on where the money came from, as if the trip were a solid fact.

On May 18, 2010 Excelsior published on his editorial “Frentes Politicos” AMLO confused 19th century President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna with contemporary guitar player Carlos Santana. The next day Excelsior published an apology because after listening a recording was clear such mistake didn't happen. Excelsior put the blame on an unnamed news agency that didn't make an accurate transcript of AMLO speech.

Again the words of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who passed away a few weeks ago:

“... this ethics abuses obey to a dauntless notion of the job, taken consciously and founded with pride on the enshrinement of the first news at any cost and over all. They are not moved by the foundation that the best news is not always the first published but many times that given better...”

 

Update. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador confirmed on July 8^th 2014 a trip to Italy, funded with the earnings of his last book. It was not the Mexican media, but AMLO himself who made the announcement in his Facebook account.