The New Mexico Attorney General’s Office is looking into whether a student violated any hate crime laws by allegedly posting hateful messages against Hispanics on the Internet following the desecration of the Mexican flag at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.
Phil Sisneros, director of communications for the attorney general’s office, told Diverse that they are willing to look at the facts surrounding the case at the request of the New Mexico chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).
“I am not a lawyer,” he said, “(But) hate crimes usually need to be directed at a person. In this case there was no person at the other end of that.”
He indicated the office had also invited LULAC officials to meet with state officials to discuss the incident but no meeting had been set.
The incident, which began when a UNM student and Air Force veteran was accused of tearing down a Mexican flag left up after an observance of Mexican Independence Day, has stirred controversy at the university and in online discussion forums.
However, Pablo Martínez, the state’s LULAC director, said that its request for an inquiry was prompted by statements that the student is alleged to have made on the Internet that were “very inflammatory and derogatory remarks toward Mexicans.” LULAC asked the attorney general’s office to look into whether using the Internet and university equipment to spread remarks that indicate harmful intent constitutes a hate crime.
“I really want people to really understand our issue,” Martínez told Diverse. “A person has a right to free expression. It’s not so much the flag incident. Our organization is not loyal to the Mexican government. We are loyal to the U.S. government. What bothered us more about this incident is the blog. We asked the attorney general to investigate as a possible hate crime because it violates our statutes.”
