San José – According to an investigative report by Jose Melendez in the Mexican news daily El Universal, authorities in Costa Rica are investigating whether the recent case of a self-declared neo-nazi Fuerza Publica officer was isolated, or if it points to a wider problem.
The events that led to the dismissal of 26-year old Ronald Herrera Borges, AKA Murdock, unfolded on the popular online social network Facebook. It was on his Timeline and photo albums that Mr. Herrera declared himself a sympathizer of the neo-nazi ideology. The photographs depicted Mr. Herrera along with other young men, displaying assault rifles, neo-nazi symbolism and paraphernalia.
Minister of Public Safety Mario Zamora confirmed that his Ministry is investigating whether other Fuerza Publica officers are involved in such neo-nazi organizations:
“It is intolerable for a democracy and her police force to allow individuals who sympathize with human rights violations to serve as law enforcement officers. Fuerza Publica is a non-belligerent entity, therefore officers cannot belong to movements that not only conform to xenophobe attitudes but also go against the values the police aims to uphold.”
Mr. Herrera was summarily fired from his position as a law enforcement officer. He appealed the firing before the National Ombudsman and later appeared on a live chat in prominent newspaper La Nacion. While most people in Costa Rica protested Mr. Herrera’s online comments and his ideology, he has not been questioned for going before the Ombudsman or appearing online in La Nacion. He has not been censored, and his case is under review by Ombudsman attorneys.
Celso Gamboa, Vice Minister of Public Safety, told El Universal that several factors were considered when firing Mr. Herrera. One of the main concerns was the apparent Holocaust denial stance taken by Mr. Herrera, and his display of symbols dear to the people of Costa Rica and Fuerza Publica, specifically the national flag, next to neo-nazi imagery.
