Cozumel Protest Over Minor’s Alleged Assault

COZUMEL — Hundreds of people demonstrated in front of the Military Garrison and housing complex on Rafael E. Melgar Boulevard in Cozumel to demand justice, arguing that a nine-year-old girl was outraged and raped inside the facility around midnight on Saturday.

Chants called for the intervention of high-ranking Army officials to punish and hand over the alleged rapist. The victim herself reportedly revealed what happened at the location before being abandoned with injuries at the so-called "ramp of the Garrison."

"Las niñas no se tocan" ("Don't touch little girls") and "con las niñas, no" ("not with little girls") were among the slogans chanted by the hundreds of attendees in front of the Garrison. Protesters also painted graffiti on the columns of the entrance infrastructure to the military complex.

The crowd refrained from entering the base, although some enraged demonstrators struck the security barriers. Others shouted strong language.

General Toscano emerged to ask for respect and assured the crowd that corresponding inquiries would be made. "We are an institution that, in coordination with other authorities, looks out for your security," he said. He added that if there is a responsible party, due procedure will be followed, requesting that people "continue with your normal activities this Saturday." The military officer then asked for restraint before withdrawing.

The protest reached intense moments when demonstrators began throwing stones into the Military Garrison, breaking the windows of the watchtower. In response, personnel in charge of surveillance fired shots into the air to disperse the protesters.

The public's demand for the handover of who they qualify as the culprit of the crime of rape lasted more than two hours, necessitating the presence of riot control elements from the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) itself.

The protesters' request is for the military element identified as the alleged perpetrator of the crime against the minor to be handed over to the corresponding civilian authorities.

Violent individuals threw fuel and then set fire to the inside of the security booths, forcing the personnel to leave the area. Aside from some reporters covering the events, citizens documented what happened through their social networks.

With no response at the entrance to the Military Garrison, the mob moved to the Sedena store located on Rafael E. Melgar Boulevard at the corner of 11th Street, next to the Complex, where they caused damage with stones and sticks. They entered the building and carried out looting.

In response to this, military personnel fired shots to dissuade people from continuing the looting, to the extent that one young man was beaten by elements defending the store.

By the early hours of Sunday morning, the crowd gradually dispersed, but not before launching further slogans against the military.