Silent march planned Sunday to protest tear gas attack

One demonstration begets another as organizer defends the right to protest

Protests on Sunday, July 19, turn violent. Photo: Facebook

Merida, Yucatan — A “Peaceful March of Silence for the Dignity of Yucatan” will kick off where police launched tear gas at protestors a week before.

Prof. Jesús González Cupul, who is organizing the demonstration, has the march starting in the hotel zone and heading south to the governor’s palace at the Plaza Grande.

Participants, asked to wear white, will begin their silent protest 8:30 a.m. Sunday at Calle 60 and 35.

A protest last Sunday, timed to coincide with a major speech from Yucatan Gov. Mauricio Vila Dosal, protested proposed taxes which were since revoked.

The demonstration devolved into chaos when marchers broke down police barriers near the Paseo 60 complex. At least one tear gas grenade was used to disperse the crowd, an action authorities since denounced. Three police officers were reportedly suspended in the incident, which a government official attributed to “professional agitators.”

Cupul said that the goal of a silent march is to demonstrate civility while asserting the rights of citizens fighting for the freedom to express their disagreements.

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