The UK ambassador to Mexico reportedly left his submit earlier this yr after he pointed a gun at an area member of embassy workers.
A video posted on social media, initially reported by the Monetary Occasions, purports to indicate Jon Benjamin aiming a rifle at one other man whereas trying down the weapon’s sights.
It was captioned: “In [the] context of every day killings in Mexico by drug sellers, he dares to joke.”
Mr Benjamin hasn’t commented up to now on what seems to have been a badly misplaced joke.
No official announcement about Mr Benjamin’s place has been made by the UK International, Commonwealth and Improvement Workplace (FCDO). However he’s not listed as ambassador to Mexico on the federal government’s official web site, which says he was in submit “between 2021 and 2024”.
Within the video, a person resembling Mr Benjamin might be seen transferring a weapon across the automobile, aiming it at completely different folks. Laughter might be heard within the background. One man is seen gesturing uncomfortably because the weapon is geared toward him.
Mr Benjamin arrived in Mexico from earlier postings together with Ghana and Chile with a popularity as fairly unconventional by the requirements of most UK diplomats.
He was very lively on social media with a big following on X. He may very well be fairly outspoken, typically straight answering followers on points he was captivated with – notably African politics, soccer and rock music. It was a part of a extra approachable, much less stuffy persona than that conveyed by different ambassadors.
In Mexico, as in most of his earlier postings, Mr Benjamin was a agency believer within the position of the smooth energy of British rock and indie music. An avid music fan himself, he inspired main UK bands and artists to go to Mexico, typically internet hosting them in his residence forward of their live shows.
For many years, for instance, he was the Rolling Stones’ chief level of contact throughout the FCDO, serving to the supergroup to barter the tangled paperwork of performing stay occasions all over the world.
He all the time appeared fascinated and well-engaged in Mexico from the beginning of his posting in 2021, travelling to a lot of its 32 states. It was on a kind of journeys, to the drug-cartel managed states of Sinaloa and Durango, that the incident together with his workers happened.
Over 30,000 folks had been murdered in Mexico final yr. The nation has extraordinarily restrictive gun legal guidelines, and is dwelling to just one gun store, housed in a Mexico Metropolis army complicated.
That the ambassador was seen to brandish a gun at his crew amid so many annual murders from drug-related violence in Mexico has struck much more of a nerve among the many embassy workers affected – and lots of Mexicans.
What was presupposed to be a routine journey to northern Mexico has seemingly introduced an ignominious finish to a really lengthy and in any other case distinguished profession within the FCDO.
The FCDO informed the Monetary Occasions: “We’re conscious of this incident and have taken applicable motion.
“The place inside points do come up the FCDO has strong HR processes to deal with them.”
The BBC has contacted Mr Benjamin and the FCDO for remark.
