Mel Gibson film shoot sparks protest at Mexican jail

Relatives of inmates in a Mexican jail where Mel Gibson is scheduled to shoot a film in early 2010 have ended a 24-hour demonstration outside the facility.

About 300 people blocked access to Ignacio Allende prison on Monday, protesting what they believed were plans to transfer about 1,000 inmates to facilities outside the Gulf of Mexico port city of Veracruz in January to clear the jail for filmmakers.

Earlier this month, Veracruz Gov. Fidel Herrera said part of the prison would be emptied in January for the film shoot.

Moving the prisoners to facilities outside Veracruz "would create serious financial problems for a lot of the families," David Estevez, a relative of one of the inmates told Agence France-Press.

Prison inmates in Mexico are often dependent on their families for food, clothing and cash.

One of the protesters carried a sign that read: "Mel Gibson, it's your fault that they want to take away our relatives."

Protesters ended the demonstration on Tuesday when the prison's director assured them he had received no orders to transfer the prisoners.

Prison director Gerardo Duran told Mexico's TV Azteca that reports that transfers were to begin imminently were unfounded rumours. But he confirmed part of the jail would be cleared for filming.

The shooting will take several months.

Gibson shot his action movie Apocalypto in Veracruz in 2006.

In 2005, he donated $1 million US to a hurricane relief effort in the Gulf of Mexico.