Quintana Roo, Mexico.- The eviction of an irregular settlement in Tulum, Quintana Roo, led to a blockade and a brawl between police and residents on the morning of Thursday, August 15.
Residents carried out the blockade for approximately one hour on the Playa del Carmen-Tulum section of federal highway 307, which connects to the Tulum International Airport “Felipe Carrillo Puerto”, after the eviction in the Colonia Aldea Zama, an invasion zone popularly known as the “Maya Train”
The protesters blocked the road with stones, sticks and tires, which they set on fire, affecting dozens of travelers.
Elements of the Tulum Municipal Police arrived at the scene and, while trying to dissuade the blockade, were allegedly attacked by the protesters who, in turn, accused them of having been attacked during the protest and the eviction carried out by agents of the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE).
According to local media, gunshots were heard at the site and officials appeared to speak with the protesters who asked them to keep the houses located two kilometers from Tulum, in an area also known as “Palma Real.”
The “parachutists” said that at least 120 families have been living there for two years and are willing to pay taxes in exchange for legal certainty.
According to his statements, at least 15 people were injured in the fight and the eviction.
In an interview with the media, Bernabé Pech Ramírez, Secretary General of the Tulum City Council, indicated that the municipal authority will cover the costs of medical services for the injured people, although he did not specify the number of those affected.
Among the agreements, he said, is that this Thursday the proceedings led by the Attorney General’s Office (FGE) of Quintana Roo will be suspended, and with that guarantee, he noted, the protesters agreed to lift the blockade.
In addition, starting tomorrow, the negotiating tables will begin, in which officials from the State Attorney General’s Office, the State Government and the Municipal Presidency will be present regarding the dispute over the properties, which, he said, have already been brought before a judge.
Pech Ramírez said that the Municipality has information that at least 70 families live on the disputed land.
The City Council Secretary regretted the impact on tourists, as he said that the blockade was carried out during “rush hour” for the Tulum International Airport.
“When I first came there were tourists walking around and that’s the image we don’t want to project, we don’t want tourists to get a bad image of Tulum, that’s why we came immediately. Fortunately, there was a dialogue,” he explained.
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