Mexico Protesters Burn Town Hall as 10 Held in Massacre
COYUCA DE BENITEZ, Mexico — Protesters burned down the town hall of this southwestern Mexican village Saturday, even as officials announced the arrest of two police commanders and eight agents for killing 17 peasants here last week.
Members of the left-wing Southern Sierra Peasant Organization, to which the dead belonged, set the town hall on fire after a speech by former presidential candidate Cuauhtemoc Cardenas in which he called for a full investigation, radio reports said. No one was hurt in the fire, which started after Cardenas had left, news reports said.
Earlier Saturday, Antonio Alcocer, attorney general for the state of Guerrero, told reporters that the 10 police officers would face charges of murder and abuse of authority.
Protesters in Coyuca appeared to be unaware of the announcement.
Peasant leaders have accused the police of deliberately killing the peasants by opening fire on two trucks at a roadblock. State officials said the peasants fired the first shot.
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