ToriB -Free's mother came to Cancun to visit her son who was in prison and was kidnapped in broad daylight.Luckily some honest people saw it and she was rescued.All the kidnappers are dead or have fled.None of that sounds safe to me? I know those of you live there feel you need to defend this corrupt Mexican way but we in the UK hear about dreadful killings and kidnappings constantly and it doesn't sound safe.Even theMexican President is talking constantly about the drugs war and how impossble it is to stop it.It sounds as bad as Afghanistan.
I don't think we feel like we need to defend it because we live here, we just have a much more informed opinion because we live here. All you see in the UK is what the media shows you. I live every day walking the streets of Cancun without anything happening to me, my family, or my friends. When the swine flu spread (all over the media) 12 of my girlfriends cancelled their trip down here. Within a month, 8 of them got the flu. To this day, I still don't know anyone in Cancun that got the swine. Cancun has much less violence than inner city London and to compare it to Afghanistan is outrageous. Mexico is a large country and although Cancun does have drug trafficking related crimes, it is not a border town. It would be ridiculous for me to compare Chicago to Eden Prairie. If you want to avoid kidnappings or muggings, you do the same thing you would do in any other country. Don't flash your money (i.e., paying excessive amounts of protection money in a prison) and then travel in unfamiliar places alone.
And FYI, what doesn't sound safe to me is being in a room with someone that thinks stomping someone's skull in until it cracks is a good reaction to a push in a bar fight. Sounds like that protection money they are paying is probably protecting the prisoners more than it is Free. The judicial system in no country is perfect but by applying for residency here in Mexico, Free has agreed to deal with the one here in Mexico. Please stop blaming an entire country for his circumstances.
There's violence everywhere - you have to know how to avoid it and walk away. Here's a sample of the UK for last week Google if that's how the UK was portrayed in the media I wouldn't want to go. Don't hate Mexico, hate the situation Free has gotten himself into.
That's right, Mat, which one of us would want to have to pay for every stupid thing we did when we were young. It's just good fortune that we didn't lose a few years....
I just saw this in today's news: Liberan a holandés Free Bronkhorst tras 14 meses en prisión - Cancún
I love how when a police officer uses excessive force he is a criminal but when a criminal uses excessive force he becomes a martyr. Free was not freed from prison. He paid his bail and was released as a convicted criminal. Farrat will be damaged for the rest of his life along with his family's reputation.
Just to keep everything straight--he was released on bail but is not yet convicted according to one paper anyway. Another says he was found guilty of a lesser charge that permits bail but he has still not been sentenced. As far as Farrat being damaged--I think was just recently elected and will be part of the next "City Council" if I remember right.
Good for Free! Still not "100% free", but better than nothing. @KTDLP: What does a cop have anything to do with this...? The reputation of the Ferrat`s hasn't suffered that much, seeing as one of them just got elected... Im amazed as how the provoker(Ivan), who, with a bigger group of people, provoked and started the incident, NEVER got ANY jail time... Well, I would be surprised, if it wasn't for the fact that we are in Mexico, hehe The fact that annoys me the most, was that Ivan and his family were (literally?) on their way to drop the charges, but when told that Ivan would have to repay the hospital bill, they changed their minds... Plus, 14 months in jail WITHOUT actually being sentenced, whilst the provoker still parties around in clubs, and did so, as short as 1 month AFTER the incident...? Laughable :bash: Many wrongs in this case - hope it gets straightened out at least a bit now.
