Primary school teacher Dante Valdez was attacked on 13 August by a group of about 30 people who burst into a local school in Madera, Chihuahua state. The attackers, most of whom work for a local mine, pushed and kicked him, and told him to stay out of their business.
Dante Valdez has been one of the leaders of peaceful protests by members of Huizopa community, near Madera. Members of this community, who live on land they own communally, part of which they have leased to a Canadian mining company, have been staging peaceful protests since May 2008 outside the grounds on which the company operates. The protestors claim that the company has taken more land than it is entitled to and that the mine is damaging the local environment and water supply.