Mexican presidential hopeful Andres Manuel López Obrador held a mass rally in Los Angeles on Sunday to criticize American President Donald J. Trump’s plans to build a wall across the U.S.-Mexico border.
The populist López Obrador hoped to rally supporters against his country’s ruling party, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), and to capitalize on resentment over Trump’s border wall proposal, wire service Reuters reported.
“I think the wall and the demagoguery of patriotism are no match for the dignity and humanity of the American people,” López Obrador said during his rally.
The Mexican politician went on to praise California as “a refuge and blessing for immigrants,” and exclaimed “long live California,” to the cheers of the crowd.
The candidate added that Trump is “stirring up” Americans against Mexicans, according to a version of his speech published on his website.
“Donald Trump and his advisors have gained from stirring up members in certain sectors of U.S. society against immigrants and, particularly, those of Mexican nationality,” he said.
“When they want to build a wall to segregate populations, or when the word ‘foreigner’ is used to insult, denigrate and discriminate against our fellow human beings, it goes against humanity, it goes against intelligence and against history,” López Obrador told the crowd.
Lopez Obrador also whipped up the crowd by insisting that he would spearhead a move in the United Nations to file human rights violations against the United States.
The candidate ended his speech by slamming Trump’s campaign phrase, “Make American Great Again.”
“Neither the United States nor the American continent come first. What comes first is to build here on this earth the kingdom of justice and universal brotherhood,”López Obrador concluded.
Photo: File
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