President López Obrador said on Tuesday that he will ask self-defense force founder José Manuel Mireles to publicly apologize for a slur he made against women and to commit to avoid making a similar indiscretion in the future.

Mireles, now a subdelegate of the State Workers’ Social Security Institute (ISSTE) in Michoacán, referred to the female partners of ISSSTE beneficiaries as “whores” in a video that circulated on social media last week.

The federal official justified his use of the word because he is a native of the Tierra Caliente region of Michoacán.

Mireles subsequently offered a “sincere apology” on Twitter but the president contended that it fell short of what was required, stating that the ISSTE subdelegate needed to make a “sincere commitment to act with respect towards women and all people.”

López Obrador also said that Mireles, a medical doctor by profession, should make a commitment to educate himself about respectful conduct towards women and pledge “never again” to use sexually disparaging language.

The president said he wouldn’t ask the official to resign at this stage because everyone should have a chance to repent and show a  willingness to make amends for their mistakes.

Asked whether Mireles might travel to the National Palace to make the apology, López Obrador told reporters that “wasn’t necessary.”

The remarks by the official, who spent almost three years in jail on charges of possession of unauthorized weapons, was condemned by politicians and women’s groups in Michoacán.

“. . . The language of the official . . . is very serious and an attack [on women],” said Lucila Martínez Manríquez, a state deputy who called on the federal government to sanction Mireles.

Source: El Financiero (sp)