The British foreign ministry apparently has removed its ambassador to Mexico, Jon Benjamin, following controversy generated by a video in which he jokes while pointing a high-powered rifle gun at staff inside a vehicle
MEXICO CITY — The British foreign ministry has apparently removed its ambassador to Mexico, Jon Benjamin, following controversy generated by a video in which he jokes while pointing a high-powered rifle at staff inside a vehicle.
The United Kingdom’s government website on Friday described the seasoned diplomat as being its ambassador to Mexico in the past tense, though no details were given. Benjamin’s official biography on the government website says he “served as ambassador to Mexico from 2021 to 2024,” with no further details.
Asked by The Associated Press about Benjamin and the video, a government statement said: “We are aware of this incident and have taken appropriate action. Where internal issues do arise, the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) has robust Human Resources processes to address them.”
In the video, allegedly made during a trip by Benjamin to the northern Mexican state of Durango, the diplomat, seated in the front passenger seat, is seen wielding what appears to be an assault rifle and smilingly pointing it at colleagues in the back seat.
The video appears to have been recorded with a cellphone. Laughter can be heard in the background and the person being aimed makes a gesture of surprise.
Benjamin is a 35-year career diplomat who headed the Diplomatic Academy in London and was responsible for designing a program to teach “the diplomatic and linguistic skills needed to implement UK foreign policy.”
Prior to serving in Mexico, he represented the UK in Chile, Ghana, Turkey, Indonesia and the United States.