Mexico’s Government apologizes for the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre

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El Heraldo de México

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Publicado: 3/10/2024 · 10:25 a.m. MX | Actualizado: 3/10/2024 · 10:25 a.m. MX

Mexico’s federal government, led by President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, has issued a public apology on behalf of the Mexican state to the families of the victims of the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre. Sheinbaum dedicated her first mañanera (morning press conference) to this significant date, emphasizing that “October 2 is not forgotten.”

“For me, it is an obligation. I have said on other occasions that I am a daughter of ‘68: my mother participated in that student movement... For me, the victory of that movement was the victory in 2018 with President López Obrador, who restored freedom, democracy, and justice to the Mexican people,” the president remarked.

The head of the Ministry of the Interior (Segob), Rosa Icela Rodríguez Velázquez, delivered a formal apology to those who lost family members during the tragedy. She also affirmed the federal government’s responsibility to acknowledge the crimes committed in 1968 and stressed that such atrocities would not happen again.

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“As the government of transformation, we have the responsibility to ensure that the crimes committed 56 years ago are recognized. For this reason, the Mexican state offered a heartfelt public apology to all those who lost loved ones or were victims of crimes against humanity on the night of October 2, 1968. Such events must never be repeated,” Rodríguez emphasized.

Later that day, the Diario Oficial de la Federación (DOF) published the agreement signed by President Sheinbaum, formally acknowledging the student massacre and issuing a request for forgiveness to the affected families.

MARCHING THROUGH TLATELOLCO

With the rallying cry, “October 2 is not forgotten,” hundreds of people marched through Mexico City on Wednesday to commemorate the 56th anniversary of the Tlatelolco student massacre, which occurred on October 2, 1968.

During a rally at the Zócalo, representatives of the 1968 Committee, along with social and student leaders, condemned the repression of social activists. Representatives from the Isidro Burgos Rural Teachers’ College of Ayotzinapa drew parallels between the 1968 massacre and the 2014 forced disappearance of 43 students from their school.

“The government has not clarified the facts; September 26 is not so different from October 2,” they declared.

El Heraldo de México