Remembering the Night of Tlatelolco

Today marks 40 years since one of the worst cases of mass killing took place in Mexico City’s history – the Tlatelolco massacre.

As Al-Jazeera English reports, the massacre occurred when hundreds of students took to the main square in Tlatelolco to challenge the government on various rights, including freedom of assembly. 

But heavy-handed tactics were used to break up the crowds, and as BBC News Online’s ‘In Pictures’ graphically illustrates, this was evidently one of the worst events to blight Mexico City in recent years.

Hundreds of people were rounded up but the actual number of the dead remains unclear even to this day. And as Amnesty highlights, no one has ever been punished for committing these atrocities.

Lots of questions remain unanswered. The current Mexican government should not pretend that this dark episode didn’t exist. But perpetrators need to be brought to justice.

Fast forward forty years, and sadly we’re hearing of more bloodshed in this beautiful historically-rich country.  Drug-related violence is currently ravaging Mexico, claiming 3,000 lives according to some reports.  The President is trying to tackle this devastating drugs war.  Decisive and comprehensive action is definitely needed to tackle the dreadful violence that’s affecting thousands of Mexicans every day.

And finally, on a slightly lighter note – did anyone watch Raymond Blanc’s The Restaurant last night? If you did, you’ll have seen the fairly dismal attempt by one restaurant couple’s attempts to reflect the best delicacies that Mexico has to offer through their menu – suffice to say, a plate of tortillas and wearing a poncho just doesn’t quite cut it.