A group of approximately 50 armed men, uniformed and hooded, who call themselves “self-defense groups of the municipality of San Cristóbal de las Casas”, published a video on social networks in which they make their existence known to the public.
In the video, which they titled “We are not a cartel. We are self-defense groups from San Cristobal and surrounding areas,” one of them appears reading a message “directed to all those who want to enter San Cristobal to destroy the peace and want to form a plaza.
“We tell them that San Cristóbal, Chamula and Betania (a community located in the municipality of Teopisca) are free, autonomous and we don’t want any cartel, we are nothing like that.
With his voice distorted, he continued: “We already have enough with the fucking motonetos. We are already watching. That’s why we will take care and watch over the peace, and any scum who wants to go on a rampage like Alejandro, alias El Chicle, and (…) we already know that they are backed by the director of the San Cristobal municipal police, Romeo. They touch one of us and they touch us all. You have been warned, we are not going to leave.
The message was released four days after a television station broadcast a report showing the sale of drugs of all kinds in the markets of San Cristobal de las Casas, in broad daylight.
Originally published in La Jornada on April 8th, 2023. https://www.jornada.com.mx/notas/2023/04/08/estados/integran-en-chiapas-nuevo-grupo-de-autodefensas-advierten-que-no-permitiran-ingreso-de-ningun-cartel
English translation by Schools for Chiapas.