The governor of Michoacán, Alfredo Ramírez Vedra, faced a chaotic scene while attending a wake for Carlos Manzo, the mayor of Uruapan, known for his tough stance against cartels. During the ceremony, he was met with shouts and physical confrontations, which eventually forced him to leave. Later that day, hundreds protested outside the governor’s mansion, vandalizing the property and even trying to set it on fire in response to Manzo’s murder and ongoing cartel violence in the state.
Ramírez Vedra visited Uruapan on Sunday to honor Manzo, who was tragically killed during a cartel-related shooting at a Day of the Dead celebration. Eyewitnesses noted that attendees directed angry chants at the governor, labeling him a murderer and a drug trafficker. Allegations surrounding Ramírez Vedra’s family connections to drug lords have circulated, adding to public distrust. Critics have pointed out his inability to manage the rising cartel violence during his governance.
By Sunday afternoon, a large crowd had gathered outside the governor’s residence in Morelia, demanding his resignation and calling for measures to curb cartel violence. Tensions escalated as some protesters began to riot, damaging government buildings and attempting to start fires.
Manzo’s assassination has ignited fierce debate in Mexico, especially after the country’s top security official, Omar García Halfuch, disclosed that 14 National Guard soldiers were supposed to be guarding him. However, the circumstances of the murder remain enigmatic, particularly concerning the absence of his bodyguard at the time. Halfuch attributed the act to a teenage shooter accompanied by two others.
