Mexico’s President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (a.k.a. AMLO), has assailed environmentalists in his country for the foreign money their organizations receive resulting from an infrastructure project AMLO wants built. Naturally, the greens are incensed and demand he apologize (fat chance). While this is welcome news, there may be no good guys in this scenario. AMLO is a Leftist and supports policies that environmentalists favor such as restricting fossil fuel extraction as part of his so-called energy reform program.

Mexico president attacks environmentalists’ foreign funding

By Mark Stevenson, Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president launched a blistering attack on several environmentalist groups Friday, suggesting they were being paid by foreign foundations to oppose his controversial train project in the Yucatan peninsula.

One group demanded President Andrés Manuel López Obrador apologize, claiming he was “criminalizing” environmentalists.

“I have received information that all of these supposedly independent non-governmental, so-called civic groups are getting money, sometimes from abroad, to oppose the construction of the Maya Train,” López Obrador said, accusing them of “disguising themselves for money as environmentalists, disguising themselves as human rights defenders for money as well, when in the end it is a struggle for political and economic power.”

López Obrador’s spokesman, Jesus Ramírez, said the non-profit groups had “curiously” all received grants from U.S. foundations and then opposed the so-called “Maya Train” project.

“These are funds only for the issue of the Maya Train,” said Ramirez, speaking with the president at his daily news briefing. “This is foreign financing for the Maya Train issue.

”It was the latest chapter in López Obrador’s troubled relationship with civic groups, which he distrusts. López Obrador has claimed in the past they are funded by conservative opponents, and he favors government projects over private efforts in most spheres.

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