Students heckle Josefina over daycare fire

On the three year anniversary of Guardería ABC, was YoSoy behind the protest?

On the third anniversary of a horrific fire at a daycare facility in Hermosillo which killed 49 young children, PAN candidate Josefina Vázquez Mota was heckled by students and the victim's parents today during a campaign stop at Mexico City's prestigious Universidad Iberoamericana (UIA). The national student protest movement known as YoSoy 132 was born at UIA several weeks ago, and has already given PRI candidate Enrique Peña Nieto a taste of the bitter medicine it's quite capable of administering. First, here's a brief report on the fire case: Mexico has a new federal child care law.

The protest today against Vázquez Mota wasn't a reasonable one, in my opinion. At the center is Juan Molinar Horcasitas, a prominent PAN politician and a former Secretary of Social Security in Mexico (2006-2009), roundly criticized after the fire for failing to promote regulations which would have beefed up license requirements for daycare facilities. (As the above article explains, essentially there were none until last year). Some even wanted Molinar to be criminally prosecuted. He's been involved on the margins of Josefina's campaign, and that's what caused today's demonstration. Now he's been terminated.

Molinar left his Social Security post on March 2, 2009, three months before the tragedy, to accept another job within the Felipe Calderón administration. But he's never escaped the accusations of command responsibility, or the understandable rage of surviving parents.

In social media remarks late today, Molinar said that he understands and accepts why his termination was necessary. He added that he remains fully committed to a PAN victory on July 1, and that he will enthusiastically vote for Josefina Vázquez Mota. He also said that he does not believe he bears responsibility, legal or otherwise, for the tragic daycare fire.

July 29 - As many as 60 people could be charged with criminal negligence in the case.
July 28 - Nine former employees of Guardería ABC have been order to stand trial, allegedly for abandoning children after the fast-moving fire broke out.
June 19 - Se reúne Peña Nieto con padres de víctimas de guardería ABC.
June 5 - "Soy inocente," dice Molinar_Horcasitas.