Demonstrating teachers did not let Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador get out of his car for more than two hours - so he had to use his mobile phone to get to a press conference.
Several dozen demonstrators from the teachers' union CNTE surrounded the SUV of the head of state and government in front of the main barracks of the armed forces in the southern Mexican city of Tuxtla Gutierrez early on Friday morning.
Among other things, they demanded the abolition of a legal reform by the previous government that reduces the influence of teachers' unions.
"The president of Mexico cannot be anyone's hostage," Lopez Obrador said in the video played during the press conference. In it, the 67-year-old populist can be seen sitting strapped into the car. Shouts from the demonstrators can be heard in the background.
He would not respond to their demands, he said. He will remain seated there for as long as necessary, he said. "I cannot be blackmailed by anyone."
At the barracks, Lopez Obrador had wanted to meet representatives of the security authorities and then hold his morning press conference. In the end, according to media reports, the teachers broke up their blockade and the president was able to get out.
