More than 1,000 people took to the streets of the Jalisco town of Ocotlan on January 12 to protest alleged abuses by officers from the Mexican Army and National Guard (GN) who have been deployed to the region to support municipal and state law enforcement agencies.
During the demonstration, some protestors parked trucks at entry points into the town and set tires on fire. One group of protestors headed over to the nearby toll booth on the Guadalajara-Mexico autopista to erect a blockade, causing a tailback of around one kilometer.
Federal forces had been drafted into the region following a series of violent incidents involving criminal gangs and state police in the latter part of 2023. Townspeople say they have outstayed their welcome and now want them banished.
Locals taking part in the protest said the federal officers are overreaching their authority, and affecting the lives of law-abiding citizens. A common complaint from residents is that when GN officers ask to see their identifications, they often do not return them immediately. The large number of motorcycle officers patrolling Ocotlan has also infuriated locals. Reports suggested that Friday’s protest was sparked by a motorbike chase a day earlier during which a young person died.