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| Mexican official's daughter tries to shut down restaurant after row over table | Mexican official's daughter tries to shut down restaurant after row over table |
| (4 months later) | |
| A Mexican official's daughter has caused a scandal by sending inspectors to shut down a restaurant that didn't give her the table she wanted. | A Mexican official's daughter has caused a scandal by sending inspectors to shut down a restaurant that didn't give her the table she wanted. |
| It is the latest of several cases of seeming arrogance by the wealthy and well-connected that have caused anger recently in a country with deep class divisions. | It is the latest of several cases of seeming arrogance by the wealthy and well-connected that have caused anger recently in a country with deep class divisions. |
| Many people say string-pulling and influence-wielding are all too common in Mexico, where arguments with politicians' relatives often end with the threatening phrase: "You don't know who you're messing with." The difference now is that with social media, such incidents go viral and force immediate reaction. | Many people say string-pulling and influence-wielding are all too common in Mexico, where arguments with politicians' relatives often end with the threatening phrase: "You don't know who you're messing with." The difference now is that with social media, such incidents go viral and force immediate reaction. |
| "As a society, we are fed up with, disgusted with this," said the writer Guadalupe Loaeza. "This is an attitude of the past; it doesn't fit with the times." | "As a society, we are fed up with, disgusted with this," said the writer Guadalupe Loaeza. "This is an attitude of the past; it doesn't fit with the times." |
| The government has now launched an investigation into the incident over the weekend at the Maximo Bistrot in Mexico City's trendy Roma Norte neighbourhood. | The government has now launched an investigation into the incident over the weekend at the Maximo Bistrot in Mexico City's trendy Roma Norte neighbourhood. |
| Andrea Benítez, the daughter of the federal attorney general for consumer protection, went to the restaurant and apparently didn't get the table she wanted or had been promised. Just hours after the incident, inspectors showed up with official "suspended" signs to punish the restaurant. | Andrea Benítez, the daughter of the federal attorney general for consumer protection, went to the restaurant and apparently didn't get the table she wanted or had been promised. Just hours after the incident, inspectors showed up with official "suspended" signs to punish the restaurant. |
| Her father, Humberto Benítez Treviño, issued a statement apologising for "the inappropriate behaviour of my daughter Andrea". While he didn't explicitly say his daughter sent the inspectors to the restaurant, his apology implied she did. | Her father, Humberto Benítez Treviño, issued a statement apologising for "the inappropriate behaviour of my daughter Andrea". While he didn't explicitly say his daughter sent the inspectors to the restaurant, his apology implied she did. |
| "She exaggerated the situation and the officials of the attorney general's office for consumer protection, which I head, overreacted because it was my daughter," he wrote. "Immediately upon hearing of the situation, I ordered the raid [on the restaurant] suspended, to avoid any excesses." | "She exaggerated the situation and the officials of the attorney general's office for consumer protection, which I head, overreacted because it was my daughter," he wrote. "Immediately upon hearing of the situation, I ordered the raid [on the restaurant] suspended, to avoid any excesses." |
| The economy department, which oversees Benítez Treviño's office, said the president, Enrique Peña Nieto, had ordered the federal comptroller's office to open an investigation into the case. | The economy department, which oversees Benítez Treviño's office, said the president, Enrique Peña Nieto, had ordered the federal comptroller's office to open an investigation into the case. |
| The restaurant was able to open for business on Sunday, and Benítez Treviño's office said the inspectors had suspended only two of the bistro's permits: one governing reservations and one covering liquor sales, because volume contents of bottles were not appropriately listed. | The restaurant was able to open for business on Sunday, and Benítez Treviño's office said the inspectors had suspended only two of the bistro's permits: one governing reservations and one covering liquor sales, because volume contents of bottles were not appropriately listed. |
| Peña Nieto has to be particularly careful about such incidents since his Institutional Revolutionary party, which regained power last year after 12 years out of the presidency, had become infamous during its 1929-2000 rule for breeding an extended clan of arrogant, inexplicably wealthy politicians known as the "Revolutionary Family". | Peña Nieto has to be particularly careful about such incidents since his Institutional Revolutionary party, which regained power last year after 12 years out of the presidency, had become infamous during its 1929-2000 rule for breeding an extended clan of arrogant, inexplicably wealthy politicians known as the "Revolutionary Family". |
| Peña Nieto's own daughter Paulina was involved in an embarrassing incident in late 2011. Reacting to social media critiques of her father, the teenager retweeted a comment that described people gloating over his gaffes as "the bunch of idiots who form part of the proletariat and only criticise those they envy". | Peña Nieto's own daughter Paulina was involved in an embarrassing incident in late 2011. Reacting to social media critiques of her father, the teenager retweeted a comment that described people gloating over his gaffes as "the bunch of idiots who form part of the proletariat and only criticise those they envy". |
| Peña Nieto quickly apologised on his own Twitter account, and the daughter later wrote: "I apologise with all my heart … I recognise what I did was wrong and I am sorry." | Peña Nieto quickly apologised on his own Twitter account, and the daughter later wrote: "I apologise with all my heart … I recognise what I did was wrong and I am sorry." |
| In 2012, the daughter of the head of Mexico's oil workers union, Carlos Romero Deschamps, posted Facebook photos of her trips to Europe aboard private jets and yachts. The photos showed her designer handbags and her three bulldogs sleeping in luxury hotel rooms. | In 2012, the daughter of the head of Mexico's oil workers union, Carlos Romero Deschamps, posted Facebook photos of her trips to Europe aboard private jets and yachts. The photos showed her designer handbags and her three bulldogs sleeping in luxury hotel rooms. |
| While somewhat more muted, politicians' families continued to pull strings under the conservative National Action party, which governed from 2000 to 2012. | While somewhat more muted, politicians' families continued to pull strings under the conservative National Action party, which governed from 2000 to 2012. |
| "It never went away. If we recall, there were incidents like this under National Action," said José Antonio Crespo, a historian at the Centre for Economic Research and Teaching in Mexico City, referring to government contracts handed out to the sons of the former first lady Martha Sahagun in the early 2000s. "There is nepotism and political privilege in all the political parties." | "It never went away. If we recall, there were incidents like this under National Action," said José Antonio Crespo, a historian at the Centre for Economic Research and Teaching in Mexico City, referring to government contracts handed out to the sons of the former first lady Martha Sahagun in the early 2000s. "There is nepotism and political privilege in all the political parties." |
| Loaeza said she was confident the times were changing, in part because social media were capable of focusing a huge amount of attention, instantly, on such bad behaviour. | Loaeza said she was confident the times were changing, in part because social media were capable of focusing a huge amount of attention, instantly, on such bad behaviour. |
| In the latest case, diners at the restaurant photographed the inspectors' raid and posted comments on social media sites. Andrea Benítez found herself a trending topic on Twitter with her own hashtag and thousands of negative tweets. | In the latest case, diners at the restaurant photographed the inspectors' raid and posted comments on social media sites. Andrea Benítez found herself a trending topic on Twitter with her own hashtag and thousands of negative tweets. |
| "Just look at Peña Nieto's daughters, and what a low profile they keep. They're not out in public any more," Loaeza noted. "Mexican society is not going to put up with this any more. Now people complain, now it becomes a scandal." | "Just look at Peña Nieto's daughters, and what a low profile they keep. They're not out in public any more," Loaeza noted. "Mexican society is not going to put up with this any more. Now people complain, now it becomes a scandal." |
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