The toll of despair or extortion disguised as protest
The students of the “Justo Sierra Méndez” Rural Normal School once again took the Campeche-Mérida federal highway, kilometer 58. But this time it was not only stones and firecrackers. There was an extra ingredient: forced collection.
They placed logs, wood and stones. They set off firecrackers to intimidate. And then they asked motorists for money to let them pass. As if it were an improvised toll for those who cry out for justice.
“They asked me for 50 pesos to make my way. I told them I didn’t have any, which was crazy. Then one threw my cell phone at me and another hit the car mirror,” said an affected person who preferred not to give his name.
The victim ended up with his vehicle damaged and unable to move forward for almost two hours. The normalistas assure that it is “voluntary cooperation” for their cause. Motorists call it what it is: extortion on public roads.
The official excuse: financial support not delivered
According to the protesters, they demand better conditions for their staff and resources that the educational authorities have owed them for months. Nobody disputes the right to protest. But placing a price turns a legitimate demand into an act that the law punishes with prison.
Meanwhile, traffic remains intermittent and unrest grows among those who just wanted to reach their destination.
