Ban on music glorifying cartels sparks violence, chaos at concert
A Mexican artist was forced to flee a concert stage on Saturday after enraging fans by saying he had been banned by the government from singing popular songs glorifying drug traffickers.
"Narcocorridos" are a controversial sub-genre of music in Mexico, which celebrates the exploits of the country's infamous drug cartels.
The songs have caught the attention of President Claudia Sheinbaum, who in recent days launched a music contest "for peace and against addictions," seeking to counter the popularity of narcocorridos among young people in Mexico and the United States.
Chaos erupted early Saturday in the city of Texcoco, 15 miles outside Mexico City, when Luis R. Conriquez told the crowd that he could not sing his popular songs praising leaders of the Sinaloa cartel.
Media reports and online videos show the singer explaining to the audience that the government had banned him from singing the songs.
"It's a law that must be respected... I also feel bad for not singing what you want to hear," Conriquez said in the videos.
Booing soon escalated into objects and beer being thrown at the singer and his band, who were forced to flee the stage. Later, nearly 20 people stormed the stage, destroying musical instruments and sound equipment.
Conriquez's manager, Freddy Perez, said in a post on Instagram that the artist obeyed the government's order "not to sing corridos."
The situation "led to a violent attack on our artist, band and crew... People reacted very badly, destroying instruments and audio equipment," he added.
The state government confirmed the incident in a statement, saying there were no injuries. It urged against "condoning violence, referring to figures linked to criminal acts or drug use" at public events.
Narcocorridos are banned at public events in states including Nayarit, Baja California, Chihuahua, and Quintana Roo. The genre has flourished on digital platforms, its popularity boosted by the rags-to-riches stories in the songs.
U.S. responds after cartel leader's face shown at concert
Earlier this month, the U.S. State Department revoked the visas of members of a Mexican band after they projected the face of a drug cartel boss onto a large screen during a performance in the western state of Jalisco. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, who was U.S. ambassador to Mexico during the first Trump administration, said late Tuesday on social media that the work and tourism visas of members of Los Alegres del Barranco were revoked.
The controversy broke out over the weekend when the face of Nemesio Rubén "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes layered over flames was projected behind the band, originally hailing from Sinaloa, during the concert.
Oseguera is the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which has been connected to a ranch authorities say was used to train cartel recruits and possibly dispose of bodies in Jalisco, where searchers found human bone fragments, heaps of clothing and shoes. The U.S. government has offered a $15 million reward for information leading to Oseguera's capture. In November, his son-in-law was arrested in California after U.S. officials say he faked his own death to "live a life of luxury" north of the border.
The Jalisco cartel is among other criminal groups in Mexico that have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the Trump administration.
While the image was met by applause during the concert, Jalisco prosecutors quickly announced they were summoning the band to testify in an investigation into whether they were promoting violence, a crime which could result in a penalty of up to six months in prison.
In December, videos posted on social media from a town in the western state of Michoacan, showed a sign at a Christmas fair thanking the Jalisco cartel's leader for the gifts.
"The children of Coalcoman thank Mr. Nemesio Oseguera and his sons, 2, 3, and Delta 1, for their noble gesture. Thank for your gifts," the sign read.
Sheinbaum said at the time that local officials were being investigated for any possible links to the sign.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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