Global EditionASIA 中文双语Français
World
Home / World / Americas

Mexico to strengthen campaign to report hate crimes in US

Xinhua | Updated: 2019-08-21 11:11
Share
Share - WeChat
Antonio Basco, whose wife Margie Reckard was murdered during a shooting at a Walmart store, is comforted by a woman next to a white wooden cross bearing the name of his late wife, at a memorial for the victims of the shooting in El Paso, Texas, US, August 15, 2019. [Photo/Agencies]

MEXICO CITY - Mexico plans to strengthen a campaign that encourages citizens residing in the United States to report hate crimes after a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, targeted Mexican immigrants, said the Mexican Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

The social media campaign #DenounceHate seeks to encourage Mexican nationals living abroad to report hate crimes, as they are often afraid to speak out, said Julian Escutia, the head of the Directorate General for Protection of Mexicans Abroad.

On Aug 3, a 21-year-old gunman opened fire at a Walmart mall in the US city of El Paso which borders Mexico, killing 22 people, including eight Mexican citizens.

Minutes before the attack, the shooter, Patrick Crusius, posted a manifesto online that railed against Hispanic immigrants. Mexican authorities said the mass shooting was a terrorist attack against its citizens.

The governmental campaign was already active before the mass shooting, but Mexican authorities want to strengthen it given the rise of hate crimes, the ministry said.

The official said that the Mexican consular network in the United States is also working to train its staff to handle cases of hate crimes, cyberbullying, and attacks by extremist groups.

"People are scared, they do not approach authorities, and we want them to report something that we know is growing," Escutia said.

The foreign ministry's spokesperson, Roberto Velasco, said that Mexican officials met with diplomatic representatives from Latin American countries, Spain and Portugal on Aug 16 to plan a joint defense of Hispanics in the United States.

Most Viewed in 24 Hours
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US