Anti-government protesters clash with riot police in Mexico City during Gen Z-led rally

A large protest against insecurity and government corruption turned violent in Mexico City on Saturday as demonstrators clashed with riot police outside the National Palace.

Thousands of protesters marched from the Angel of Independence monument through several streets and avenues before reaching the Zocalo, the capital's main square where the National Palace — the home and office of President Claudia Sheinbaum — is located.

Tensions exploded when masked protesters tore down metal barriers protecting the palace, prompting riot police to respond with tear gas and smoke bombs. Demonstrators pushed and kicked the fences while some hurled stones at officers.

The demonstration, organized primarily by Generation Z youth groups, drew citizens protesting specific cases of violence, including the assassination of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo. Participants waving Mexican flags voiced frustration over deteriorating security conditions and government corruption.

"We need more security," said Andres Massa, a 29-year-old business consultant who carried the pirate skull flag that has become a global symbol of Gen Z protests.

In several countries this year, members of the demographic group born between the late 1990s and early 2010s have organized protests against inequality, democratic backsliding and corruption.

Sheinbaum still has high approval ratings despite a recent spate of high-profile murders that include the assassination of Manzo, a popular mayor in the western state of Michoacán.

In the days leading up to Saturday's protest, Sheinbaum accused right-wing parties of trying to infiltrate the Gen Z movement and of using bots on social media to try to increase attendance.

Protesters and police clashed in Mexico City on Saturday.
Photo: NYT

Protesters gathered in cities across Mexico on Saturday to vent their frustration at how the president has handled corruption and violent crime, with demonstrators ranging from pensioners to young people linking themselves with a global Gen Z movement, ‘The New York Times’ reports.

The demonstrations, which took place in more than 50 cities, underscored a persistent public perception: Despite President Claudia Sheinbaum’s efforts to curb violence and weaken organized crime, many Mexicans feel that killings and corruption retain a powerful grasp on their lives.

“I am tired and saddened by the situation in the country today,” said Rodrigo Santana, 21, an actor and singer who joined the protest in Mexico City. “The goal of this march is precisely to remove the president. And to show that we are angry, that the people are not with her.”

Ms. Sheinbaum remains broadly popular and her opposition largely disorganized, not presenting any clear threat to her presidency.

But the protests were a clear sign of widespread frustration, drawing from a range of society and coming as many Mexicans feel increasing anger over persistent violence. A prominent mayor who had called for harsh action against criminals was assassinated this month, extortion is at an all-time high and some states have become battlegrounds for cartels armed with military-grade weapons.

Protesters clash with riot police in Mexico City on Saturday.
(Marco Ugarte/The Associated Press)

Ms. Sheinbaum’s administration described the planned protests as part of an “inorganic, paid” campaign organized by her opponents.

A government presentation traced their online promotion to opposition-linked figures and newly created social media accounts, a strategy officials asserted cost nearly $5 million.

But those at the protest in the capital’s central plaza, the Zócalo, complained about widespread corruption and violence, issues that surveys show are critical to voters.

Many protesters waved white flags or wore cowboy hats in memory of one man: Carlos Manzo, the outspoken mayor who was assassinated this month in his home state, Michoacán.

Before his death, Mr. Manzo — who started an independent political initiative known as the Sombrero Movement — had clashed with Ms. Sheinbaum over her security strategy, which he described as flawed and ineffective. He called for an iron fist approach to crime, even announcing he would reward police officers who killed cartel hit men.

Roberto Navarro, 64, a farmer from Jalisco state, said he brought the banner to honor Mr. Manzo as a rare Mexican politician willing to stand up to cartels. He added that the mayor defended farmers like him, who often must pay extortion fees to criminal groups.

Only the United States, Mr. Navarro said, could loosen the cartels’ grip. “What can we do as citizens? Ask for intervention, which is the only solution,” he added.

Ms. Sheinbaum has repeatedly opposed that idea, stressing that while her government cooperates with U.S. authorities on intelligence sharing, any foreign security operation on Mexican territory would violate its sovereignty.

Police released gas during anti-government protests at the Zócalo on Saturday.

By late Saturday, protesters had torn down some of the metal fences surrounding the building and injured about 100 police officers, 40 of whom were hospitalized, the authorities said. A tense face-off between some masked protesters and police guarding the National Palace escalated when clouds of tear gas covered the scene, and rocks were thrown. Twenty people were arrested, officials said.

Regardless of who might or might not have been organizing the demonstrations, many young people described a broader frustration.

“This movement represents no single thing; it’s about everything: injustice, insecurity, the disappeared, the lack of education, the lack of employment,” said Jacobo Alejandro, an 18-year-old student who came with two classmates. “It’s a discontent with how the country is being run.”

…There's no doubt that the mass youth protests are deliberately provoked to create chaos in Mexico. The Mexican government's reported $5 million budget for “promoting” the protests on social media confirms it. The security services will determine who is behind these inexperienced but angry youths.

However, it's already clear that public discontent stems from real problems — corruption and crime — that the Sheinbaum government is failing to address.

The danger of this situation is that if the government falls, power could seize, as it was after the Maidan protests in Kyiv, the most criminal forces, linked to the Mexican drug mafia.

“Hell is paved with good intentions”…

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