President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he learned of the existence of the National Council for the Prevention of Discrimination (Conapred), after a controversy broke out over Chumel Torres’ invitation to a forum on discrimination and racism.
“Now that there was a controversy over a social media commentator who was invited for a debate, I learned that it exists, what’s his name?, Conapred. It’s just that one day I’m going to put here how many organisms they created, for everything (…) and that’s when they stole the most.”
.@lopezobrador_ said he learned of the existence of the @CONAPRED by Chumel Torres’ controversial invitation to a forum on classism and racism, which even @BeatrizGMuller, the president’s writer and wife, criticized.
Read more: https://t.co/MEO7fYfK3l pic.twitter.com/s11MvkAxZH
— Political Animal (@Pajaropolitico) June 17, 2020
He also questioned the creation of the Institute of Transparency and accused that these types of agencies have no budget limit and are the ones that have the most bureaucratic apparatus.
López Obrador spoke this morning about the invitation that the Conapred made to the youtuber to participate in a forum that has already been cancelled: “It is not a question of freedom of expression, it is a matter of common sense”.
“Enough simulation. It cannot be that people, racist, classist, are still buried, hidden, masked, deceived, how someone who discriminates against an act of these is going to be invited. Of course I am in favour of freedom, but it is the end of the year, they are people characterized by despising others, truly racist, discriminatory,” he said.
“It’s as if a human rights forum is invited to a torturer,” the representative said when questioned about the controversy.
What is Conapred?
It is a state body created in 2003 by the Federal Law on Preventing and Eliminating Discrimination.
“This entity has its own legal personality and heritage, and is sectorized to the Ministry of the Interior. In addition, it enjoys technical and management autonomy, adopts its decisions with full independence, and is not subordinate to any authority for its resolutions in complaint procedures, it states on its website.
One of its functions is to design public policies that combat discrimination, contribute to cultural and social development and advance social inclusion and guarantee the right to equality, which is the first of the fundamental rights in the Federal Constitution.
The Conapred is responsible for receiving and resolving complaints about alleged discriminatory acts committed by individuals or federal authorities in the exercise of their duties.
The Conapred develops actions to protect all citizens from any distinction or exclusion based on ethnic or national origin, sex, age, disability, social or economic status, health conditions, pregnancy, language, religion, opinions, sexual preferences, marital status or any other, that prevents or nullify the recognition or exercise of the rights and real equality of opportunities of individuals.
It is responsible for promoting the non-sexist use of language and introducing inclusive forms of communication in the public and private sphere; promote the right to non-discrimination through outreach and outreach campaigns; propose to the Federal Executive legislative, regulatory or administrative reforms that protect and guarantee the right to non-discrimination; design indicators for the evaluation of public policies with a view to non-discrimination, among other things.
Chumel’s name became trending Tuesday because users criticized the Conapred’s decision when inviting him to a forum, as they consider the driver to be in agresing different characters in public life, and Mexicans in general for their skin color, so they pointed him out as a “classicist” and “racist.”
Even Beatriz Gutier, writer and wife of the president, questioned that invitation: “Does this character invite a forum on discrimination, classism and racism? I’m still waiting for a public apology from this individual about the attacks on my underage son,” he wrote on his social media.
Conapred’s headline, Monica Maccise, reported that the forum was canceled in the face of the weather that had been generated.
“Conapred is an agency that listens to the public, its allies and allies, and social groups that considered that they were not being properly represented and on the basis of that the decision was made to reschedule the event,” he detailed in a statement.
In addition, he stressed that self-criticism and rectification by the authorities paid to the construction of a democratic regime and that the discussion of the event confirms the need to bring this issue of racism, classism and otherintolerance, public debate.
#Comunicado
Conapred is an organization that listens to citizens, their allies and allies, and social groups that they felt were not being properly represented. Based on this, the decision was taken to reschedule the event “Racismo and/or Classism in Mexico” pic.twitter.com/OPbVeq8rs9
— conapred (@CONAPRED) June 17, 2020
What we do in Animal Político requires professional journalists, teamwork, dialogue with readers and something very important: independence. You can help us keep going. Be part of the team.
Subscribe to Animal Politics, receive benefits and support free journalism #YoSoyAnimal.
