Mexico's president says the country's violent criminal gangs and drug cartels are essentially “respectful people” who “respect the citizenry” and mostly just kill each other.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Thursday that the country's gangs and cartels generally "respect the citizenry" in favor of killing each other.

However, the reality seems to be different as many Mexicans have claimed their areas are being controlled by these gangs, who often force people to pay them for protection and kill them or kidnap them if they refuse to pay the protection money.