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The Story:
The date was May 1st, 2015. I picked up my phone and noticed an unread message. “Do you know something about the narcobloqueos?”
“Hm… no. What’s that?”
“Aahh okay. Some shitty thing about narcos.”
I don’t own a television, don’t listen to the radio, and so sometimes remain in a state of blissful ignorance about the outside world, so I had no idea that on nine roads and highways in Guadalajara, there were burning buses, allegedly set on fire by agents of drug cartels – specifically the Jalisco New Generation cartel. Seven people were killed that day, mostly police officers and military. Twelve were injured, and three people went missing. It also meant my friend couldn’t catch the bus to her home in El Salto.
I asked a few people about it, and the response was that it happened every election season. The rumour was one of conspiracy. The theory is that every election, the government, in collusion with the drug cartels, does something to spook the people just a little bit. Then, whoever is in government can swoop in, saying that they will be extra hard on drug traffickers, appearing as the hero to anyone who isn’t paying enough attention to know what is really going on. The cartel refrains from burning any buses for a few months or a few years, and it appears that these violent symptoms have been pacified. Naturally, the core issue remains unaddressed.
About two weeks ago, I saw a protest in downtown Guadalajara.
A little more than a year ago, the second largest market in downtown Guadalajara, Mercado Corona, had gone up in flames, and with no official investigation, and little investigation in general. Nobody can say for sure who did it. However, a certain statesman was, just a few months previously, calling for the demolition redevelopment of that exact piece of real estate, it’s not surprising that suspicious people are quick to ask questions. And they are right to ask questions. A people that is not suspicious of its government will quickly get lead astray.
North of the border, in Baltimore, Maryland, on the 27th of April, the media started reporting a riot. Again, suspicious people started to question. For reports of a riot, the media seemed to have a lot more footage of police officers, than they did of actual rioters. Then, a lone CNN camera managed to capture what appeared to be a carefully choreographed performance involving a young protester being abducted by the police.
It is in the interest of the media to sensationalise events. Humans seem to have an evolutionary instinct to react to bad news, and that keeps people glued to their TV sets. But is there more to this story than sensational journalism?
In both of these cases, there are interests who are trying to manipulate public opinion, whether it be the narcotraffickers, the media, or the governments. In this episode, we attempt to analyse some of those factors and speculate on who might benefit from a conspiracy beyond what you can view on your television.
The Links:
Así fueron los incendios y bloqueos en Jalisco
Burning vehicles block roads
“Baltimore riots are a hoax”
“Joseph Kent kidnapping hoax”
Fox13 Memphis posts fake photo
Fox13 Memphis admits error
G20 Agents provocateurs
Dan Dicks Press for Truth “Into The Fire” G20 Toronto documentary
The cover photo is a modified photo used under Creative Commons licence. Original photo here.
