Mexican senate resumes debate on judicial reform after protestors force pause | U.S. & World [Video]

By Cassandra Garrison

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexico’s Senate resumed debate on a controversial judicial overhaul on Tuesday evening at an alternative location after protesters broke into the Senate chamber mid-session.

Demonstrators forced their way into the Senate building as debate was underway, marking an escalation of weeks of widespread protest against the reform, which critics fear could undermine the country’s rule of law.

The debate, which will likely go into the early hours of Wednesday morning, kicked off again at 7 p.m. local time (0100 GMT) after being relocated to the Senate’s former base, the Xicotencatl building.

Earlier in the day, Senate President Jose Gerardo Fernandez suspended the session and asked lawmakers to remain calm as demonstrators flooded the upper level of the chamber, chanting “traitors” in opposition to the reform.

Mexico’s major trading partners, the United States and Canada, have warned the changes could undermine the trade pact of the three countries, …