Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Authorities in Playa del Carmen have called for religious tolerance after a widely circulated video showed a man attacking a Jewish believer on the city’s popular Quinta Avenida.
León Ballesteros Reyes, head of the municipal Directorate of Religious Affairs, urged respect among the diverse religious groups in the area. He encouraged the victim to file a complaint with the Quintana Roo State Prosecutor’s Office regarding the alleged crime.
“We call on all people who do not share a particular religion to be respectful in this municipality, this city, and this country because laws guarantee religious freedom and respect,” Ballesteros Reyes said. “We have also urged those who feel aggrieved or violated to file complaints with the appropriate authorities.”
He noted this appears to be the first incident of its kind in the municipality, which hosts a diversity of faiths.
The video shows a person carrying Jewish religious insignia and professing their faith on Quinta Avenida when a man, possibly a foreign tourist, approaches, violently snatches a religious flag, and throws it to the ground.
According to witnesses, the alleged aggressor had begun harassing the individual earlier at the nearby Fundadores Park. The victim reportedly belongs to one of the Jewish groups active in the city, which regularly visit Quinta Avenida to invite Israeli visitors to local synagogues.
Some social media users suggested the attack may have been politically motivated due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Quintana Roo’s penal code stipulates penalties of up to four years in prison for religiously motivated aggression under discrimination offenses.
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