Hackers Occupy Several Mexican Pages on Country’s Independence Day

Sep 17, 2012
10:47 AM

On September 16, Mexican Independence Day, a hacker group called Mexican Cyber Protest occupied several of the country's pages to protest what they feel were the fraudulent July 1 presidential that declared Enrique Peña Nieto as the winner.

The group posted the following image on the sites it hacked:

The hack gained global media attention. Here is what the BBC reported:

"This is a peaceful cyber protest," the statement posted by the hackers reads. "We are not criminals, we are students, workers and productive Mexicans who are fed up and looking for a way to express our disagreement," it adds.

The message calls President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto an "imposed president", saying Mexico's democracy was "stolen" in July's election.

It also attacks outgoing President Felipe Calderón, accusing him of mismanaging the economy and unleashing a wave of violence by confronting drug cartels.

The criticism of the presidential election result echoes complaints made by the left-wing runner-up, Andres Manuel López Obrador, who accused Enrique Peña Nieto of buying votes and media coverage.