translated from Spanish: AMLO on tear gas to mayors

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador lamented the protest held yesterday by several municipal mayors in front of the National Palace, which he called “a provocation”.
“Yes, it’s a provocation of the municipal presidents. Very unfortunate, they wanted to get in by force, they did not behave correctly, they are very much encouraged by the opposition. I take this opportunity to tell you that this is not the place to claim, it is in the Chamber of Deputies,” he added.
He recommended that the Chamber of Deputies be used to negotiate their income and undertake austerity plans. “I would recommend that if they want to have more budgets to carry out, and in that we do help them, a formula to save: lower the salaries of senior civil servants. How much do city presidents make? How much do the rulers make?” he said.
On the mayors’ complaints about being sprayed with tear gas, the president indicated that this was a decision they “made at the door of the National Palace because they felt there was a threat.”
Read: They launch tear gas at mayors protesting at the National Palace; there was risk, justifies government
He stated that those in the care of the national palace door felt that security could be compromised and that they entered by force, “there were threats that they would throw the door, felt they were going to be overrun and made this decision.”
–Do you support the being thrown tear gas? A reporter questioned.
–Maybe that averted a more serious situation. I am a pacifist and I fought for many years in the peaceful way and it would be even convenient to promote how to protest effectively without violence, how to prove nonviolence and its political effectiveness, said López Obrador.
“I would tell city presidents to set a good example, not to act like this (…) and bet on nonviolence, that they should calm down, to calm down. They’re from the PAN, from the PRD, they’re our opponents.”
He noted that if the mayors want to protest they are in their right and recommended that they get up early, and go to protest at the National Palace before 7 a.m., because at that time the morning conference is held.
Find out: AMLO government social programs will continue to have no rules of operation by 2020
On Tuesday a group of 80 mayors came to Palacio Nacional to request a hearing with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and demand greater resources for municipalities; however, they were dispersed with “natural defensive spray” because, according to federal authorities, they “put the lives of workers at risk.”
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Original source in Spanish