Ten Lemon Picking Workers Dead, 17 Injured After Leaving Labor Rally In Michoacan

Lemon picking labor workers massacre in the outskirts of Girasoles.

By H. Nelson Goodson

April 13, 2013

Los Girasoles, Michoacan, Mexico - On Wednesday, a commando of armed gunmen opened fire at a group of lemon picking workers, killing 10 men and wounding at least 17, including women and children, both Agencia Esquema and Mexico Rojo dot com reported. Mexico Rojo dot com identified the gunmen as members of the Caballeros Templarios.

In a video report by Agencia Esquema, residents of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, also known as "La Rueda" in Michoacan said, the military disarmed their community self-defense security group and the community was left unarmed. The military has patrolled the area to provide security in the community, but when they leave, the defenseless community becomes the target of criminal organizations like the Caballeros Templarios.

Wednesday's massacre resulted after the lemon labor workers joined a labor workers rally at Zatapa Act in the Four Cross Roads around noon to request that lemon packaging companies reopen in the municipality of Buenavista and La Rueda. The workers were returning home at 4:00 p.m. when they were ambush in Los Girasoles in the municipality of Apatzingán. The gunmen fired AK-47's at the workers and tossed grenades killing the victims and injuring others.

The criminal organizations in the area control the price set for the lemon market forcing residents to work for less and pay higher quotas for the produce.

An estimated 500 labor workers attended a rally and met with state and local officials demanding that several lemon packaging companies reopen to provide much needed jobs in the area.

Family members of the victims say, those massacre weren't even armed and were slaughtered like animals by the Caballeros Templarios. The Templarios has not taken credit for the massacre and the state and federal government hasn't confirmed or identified the gunmen or criminal organization invloved in the mass cold blooded murder.

The Mexican military and Federal Police who responded to the massacre were able to escort the surviving victims back to the localities. The reported injured were transported to local medical facilities in the area.