Mexican riot police fired tear gas and used clubs to break up a protest by supporters of left-wing presidential challenger Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Leftist lawmakers were among at least 30 people injured in the scuffles outside Congress in Mexico City.

Mr Lopez Obrador’s supporters have been camped out in protest at the 2 July election they say was stolen by conservative rival Felipe Calderon.

This is the first time the authorities have used force on the protesters.

Mr Lopez Obrador later told his supporters that the events showed the authorities are “taking off their masks and putting aside their talk of supposed legality and respect”.

bbc.co.uk

Left-Wing Protests Spread to Highways, Banks

“…We have to toughen up the campaign. It is going to be spread across the country because this is a national problem,” said Gerardo Fernandez, a spokesman for the left-wing Party of the Democratic Revolution.

Activists swung open toll barriers for hours on several main highways serving Mexico’s three biggest cities: Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. Also hit were highways to the Pacific coast beach resort of Acapulco and Nuevo Laredo on the US border.

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