Mexican journalist Carmen Arestegui labels Trump a bully

By Gardenia Zuniga-Haro

 

More than 200 people from all ages and ethnic backgrounds gathered in the Sibley Auditorium at UC Berkeley to hear Mexican “explosive” journalist Carmen Arestegui speak on the Mexican Trump perspective on Friday, April 21 at sunset.

 

“Vivimos en tiempos que nos estan haciendo bully, y esto solo han cido 100 dias de el ser presidente”, Aristegui said. (We live in times where we are being bullied, yet it’s only been 100 days of him being president.)

 

The crowd was thrilled and gave her a round of applause as Aristegui walked in the auditorium. She spoke in spanish however there was a translator provided throughout the conversation. The auditorium room was over capacity and the event was streamed LIVE into the hallway sitting area too.

 

Throughout her conversation, she mentioned how absurd the “Muro” (wall) was and how it will create more tension between the U.S. and Mexico, something that affects us all including City College students. “We are never building a wall,” Aristegui insisted while the crowd clapped and cheered in agreement.

 

The fact that Trump has an agenda to affect Mexico with immigration, the wall and our ecommerce is terrible Aristegui said but that’s why on May 1 we must proclaim that we are a strong community, insisting that a show on that date would bring value to the Latino people.

 

“Just like there was a Day Without Immigrants’ recently, well they better get ready because May 1 will be bigger and better,” she continued as she described how there will be a huge immigrant march across the nation. “Our voice will be heard with the symbolism of our actions that day and with this massive expression of our voice, we will prove to him that we have rights and a voice that needs to be heard.”

 

She discussed in her speech that many people have described current Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto as a bit “warm” and “small” with his role as President. The crowd laugh while she continued and asked the audience to shout out a word that described the Mexican President.

 

“Pendejo!”, “cobarde!”, “gallina!”. (Idiot, coward, chicken), the crowned said.

In 1948 a very significant document was signed that is repeating the history in a Trump era. “Trump has awakened this sentiment that Mexico has been hiding for a while,” Aristegui said as she continued to explain “it was the Mexican invasion in the United States.”

 

She described how this was originally Mexico’s land and how they have the right to claim it back but the Mexican President has the final call to make this decision which will help us reclaim what belongs to Mexico.

 

“It is important to look the initiatives that Trump’s agenda has to see how we can strengthen our ties between the U.S. and Mexico and together try to create a better democracy,” Aristegui said while talking about the impact that Trumps 100 days in office has had.

 

She spoke in regards the “fake news” epidemic has had on journalism across the nation in which she attributed to being largely created to distract us from the real agenda that Trump has while we focus on figuring out how many real facts are in the “fake news.”

 

“It is true that Mexico has a problem with organized crime. And how Trump can see this as an opportunity to target our country but the United States has it too. They just hide it under it, under that radar,” said Aristegui as she continued to speak on the Mexican perspective of Trump.

 

She made an impact when she said that the behavior that Trump has had in the past 100 days is alarming, pointing out that what Trump did overseas with Syria and comparing it the potential of the same tactics being used in Mexico.

The audience gasped and some even shook their head in agreement that Aristegui was right.

 

“Do you think it’s a coincidence that those people wearing black and provoke violence have other goals than to express their political views? They are not just here to stop a Republican supporter when they come to town,” Aristegui said as she described the recent protest at UC Berkeley who made the conservative author Ann Coulters cancel her event. Now it has been rescheduled to May 2, the day after the massive immigrant event is scheduled to occur nationwide.

 

“They are warning us that something big is coming and we need to be prepared,” Aristegui said.