With the Mexican state failing to provide for the basic security of its citizens, violence is at an all-time high. Since the beginning of 2008, the BBC reports that more than 2,700 people have been killed in drug-related violence. The kidnapping rate in Mexico has now surpassed that of both Iraq and Colombia, with more than 300 people abducted so far this year.
It appears that Mexicans have had enough. On Friday August 30, anti-violence demonstrations were held in all of Mexico's 32 states. In Mexico City, more than 150,000 citizens flooded the Zocalo to demand an end to violence and government inaction. A video clip of the demonstration is available here.
With the citizenry reaching a critical mass, Mexican authorities need to enact more far-reaching reforms. President Felipe Calderon has deployed more than 20,000 soldiers in hot beds of drug activity, and the fight appears to only be getting worse. In conjunction with a military approach, real judicial reforms need to take place in Congress. Since the system of organized crime has until fairly recently enjoyed relative immunity from state prosecution – and indeed has been linked to the state – the latest crackdown has provoked the wave of violence from those that gain the most by exploiting Mexicans.
