Two Mexico City police officers accused of kicking a teenage girl in the head during a march against police brutality on Friday were jailed yesterday on charges of abuse of power.
A video of the attack, which occurred while the victim was lying on the ground, went viral, after which Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum denounced the act. “I gave a clear and precise instruction to avoid provocation,” she stated on social media and specified that her orders were not fully obeyed.
“For my government, this is unacceptable. For this reason, I am requesting the Attorney General’s Office and the Mexico City Human Rights Commission to open an investigation, identify and punish those responsible, as well as their chain of command, regardless of rank,” she said shortly after the protest concluded.
The clash between police and protesters on Friday came as a group of about 100 people, some armed with Molotov cocktails, sticks and other projectiles, left a protest in front of the U.S. Embassy and made their way through the streets of the capital to Casa Jalisco, the Mexico City office of that state’s government.
The crowd was protesting the case of Giovanni López, who died after being arrested by police in Jalisco on May 4, apparently for not wearing a face mask.
The protesters shattered windows and vandalized homes along the route. Some carried anarchist flags and a large banner emblazoned with “Antifa,” for anti-fascist.
The girl who was assaulted by police, identified only as Melanie, said she attended the protest because she was angered by reports of police brutality and admitted she threw rocks at police officers. She denied using any other weapon against the officers who she said were larger than she is and carried shields and wore helmets.
Over the weekend, the call “Justice for Melanie” was put out over Facebook and a march was planned in Mexico City Monday to protest the attack against her.
