Despite notoriously eschewing political commentary — and even being accused of using his wedding to distract Mexicans from electoral fraud in 2012 — Eugenio Derbez has publicly weighed in on the case of the 43 missing students from the Escuela Normal at Ayotzinapa. Perhaps surprisingly for some, the goofball comedian and mastermind behind box-office smash Instructions Not Included, went straight to the point in a recent interview with Univision’s Jorge Ramos on the program Al Punto.
After being asked his thoughts on the situation “as a Mexican,” Derbez insisted that the situation is painful for him and suggested that the civil unrest surrounding the 43 students should be a pretext for the Mexican people to say “no more dead bodies.” Taking his commentary a step further, Derbez matter-of-factly claims that the government was involved in the disappearances and laments that there is corruption and impunity embedded in all levels of Mexican society. In closing, Derbez grimaces and almost begrudgingly admits that even the president of Mexico, Enrique Peña Ñieto, is incapable of maintaining order.
Derbez’ commentaries are latest in a string of high-profile statements that have come in the wake of the disappearance of 43 students from a rural teacher’s college in Guerrero State. A 72-hour general strike has been called in Mexico for Wednesday, November 5 to demand that the government locate the students whereabouts.
“Como Mexicano me duele terriblemente porque Ayotzinapa, creo que es la punta del iceberg, es un ya basta. Quizás es un pretexto para decirle al gobierno: hasta aquí llegamos, ya no podemos aceptar una muerte mas.”