Boston Globe
By Maria Sacchetti
August 21, 2015
The
Mexican government on Thursday condemned the brutal beating of a
homeless man in Boston this week and confirmed that the man was a
citizen of Mexico.
Officials
said they are providing the 58-year-old man with consular protection
and legal assistance. The man is in the hospital with a broken nose and
bruises to his head,
arms, and chest.
“We
emphatically condemn this specific act of violence against a Mexican
national or any act of violence against our citizens anywhere,” Daniel
Hernandez Joseph, the consul
general of Mexico in Boston, said in a phone interview. “We believe
that the relationship between Mexico and the US should be, and is, one
based on shared values of respect for human life.”
Early
Wednesday the Massachusetts State Police arrested brothers Scott and
Steve Leader of South Boston after they allegedly attacked the man
outside of a Dorchester MBTA
stop. State Police alleged that the brothers punched the man, beat him
with a metal pole, and urinated on his face. The man was admitted to
Boston Medical Center.
State
Police said in their report that Scott Leader, 38, told them that
“Donald Trump was right, all these illegals need to be deported,” a
reference to the Republican
presidential candidate who has made comments against immigrants.
One of the South Boston brothers accused of beating and urinating on the victim said he was inspired in part by Donald Trump.
The
Leader brothers pleaded not guilty in Dorchester District Court. They
face multiple charges, including assault and battery based on national
origin — a hate crime.
In
a press release Thursday, the government of Mexico said it
“energetically condemns” the attack and called on the public to
recognize the immigrant community’s contributions
to the economy, society, and culture of the United States.
The Mexican government said it “rejects any act of violence” motivated by racism, national origin, or immigration status.
The
government also vowed to “take the necessary measures to defend the
rights and interests of Mexicans regardless of their immigration
status.”
Officials
said they would follow the investigation into the man’s attack “very
closely” to ensure that those responsible are held accountable.
Trump,
the frontrunner in the race for the GOP presidential nomination, told
reporters this week that the reported assult was “a shame.”
In June, Trump made disparaging comments about Mexican immigrants that spurred Univision, NBC, and others to cut ties with him.
Robert
O. Trestan, the New England regional director of the Anti-Defamation
League, said Thursday that inflammatory words on the campaign trail and
elsewhere can create
fear.
“The
climate of bias and hostility against immigrants that has emerged in
recent weeks is unproductive for the immigration debate and can pave the
way for people to act
on bigotry and prejudice,” he said.
Scott Leader was previously convicted of a hate crime for attacking a Moroccan man after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
Hernandez
Joseph said his consular staff interviewed the Mexican immigrant
Thursday and said they were still attempting to contact family members.
“Right now what we’re worried about is his physical condition,” Hernandez Joseph said. “He’s very badly beaten.”
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
No comments:
Post a Comment