Taxi Drivers Shut Down Tulum Highway Over Union Leader Arrest

Taxi drivers from the "Tiburones del Caribe" union in Tulum, Quintana Roo, staged a protest by blocking both lanes of Federal Highway 307. The demonstration occurred on the Tulum-Playa del Carmen stretch and was in response to the arrest of their union leader, Eliazar Sagrero. The protest kicked off on the morning of August 30th near the entrance of the Tulum Archaeological Zone. Demonstrators gathered with banners expressing their support for Sagrero, who also heads the Unified Front of Steering Wheel Workers and is an incoming councilor of the Sigamos Haciendo Historia coalition.

The "Tiburones del Caribe" union issued a statement asserting that Sagrero's arrest is a political ploy by the state government. They claim that the government, under the leadership of Mara Lezama from the Morena party, is using the arrest as a distraction from the ongoing controversy surrounding the introduction of Uber and the call for improved fares.

The union's statement read, "The arrest of our union leader, on what we believe are fabricated charges, is seen by many as an attempt to silence a powerful and influential voice. Sagrero has consistently championed the rights of taxi drivers in Quintana Roo."