In the heart of Mexico City, a wave of discontent swept through the streets as predominantly Gen Z demonstrators voiced their concerns over rampant corruption and the unchecked power of cartels. The protestors converged around the National Palace, expressing their frustration with the current state of affairs in Mexico.
On Saturday, the capital’s avenues were packed with thousands of citizens marching towards the National Palace, the official residence of President Claudia Sheinbaum. Sheinbaum, a progressive leader, assumed office in October of last year. The demonstration highlighted widespread dissatisfaction with her administration’s handling of crime and economic challenges.
The protest, spearheaded by youthful activists and bolstered by older supporters from opposition groups, was a manifestation of the public’s growing impatience with governmental shortcomings in curbing violence and fostering economic growth.
Amid the charged atmosphere, many protestors demanded Sheinbaum’s resignation, attempting to push through police barricades surrounding the palace. Their actions underscored the intensity of their grievances.
In response to the escalating tension, law enforcement deployed tear gas to disperse the crowd, prompting chaos as people scattered in various directions to escape the fumes.
The standoff between the demonstrators and police continued for several hours, but eventually, calm was restored in the vicinity of the National Palace, as authorities managed to reestablish order.
Pablo Vazquez, Mexico City’s chief of police, said 20 people were arrested and are set to be charged with battery, assault and robbery, Bloomberg reported.
Vazquez added that 60 of his officers were injured, 40 of whom had to be sent to the hospital for treatment.
Mexico City police are seen fighting with protestors outside the National Palace on Saturday after thousands of people flocked to the official residence of the president to demand her resignation
The thousands of demonstrators, many of them in Generation Z, are unsatisfied with President Claudia Sheinbaum’s leadership and say she has failed to contain cartel violence and corruption
Police responded to the sudden surge of protestors by shooting tear gas at them. Clashes lasted several hours
Outrage over the November 1 assassination of Carlos Manzo, the mayor of a crime-ridden town in western Mexico, was on the mind of most people who joined the protest.
Many could be seen wearing straw hats that symbolize his political movement, which is vigorously focused on having a zero-tolerance policy for organized crime.
‘The state is dying,’ said Rosa Maria Avila, a 65-year-old real estate agent who traveled from the town of Patzcuaro in Michoacan state.
‘He was killed because he was a man who was sending officers into the mountains to fight delinquents. He had the guts to confront them,’ she said of Manzo.
Saturday was the biggest protest against Sheinbaum to date. She has responded to by accusing right-wing groups of being behind the escalating shows of discontent.
The protest against Sheinbaum and her Morena party, which Manzo splintered off from in 2024, resembled other Gen Z-led movements like the ones in Nepal and Madagascar, countries where the governments were toppled.
Sheinbaum still enjoys a high approval rating, but there is a sizable portion of the electorate that is beginning to feel like she’s more of the same.
Giovanna Agundez, a 32-year-old woman who was at the protest, told Bloomberg that ‘this is exactly what happened with previous governments’.
‘Don’t they always claim to be different? Doesn’t Sheinbaum keep saying that all women, not only her, achieved power? Right now, I feel powerless,’ she added.
Sheinbaum was not at the National Palace at the time of the protests. Instead, she was nearly 600 miles away in Campeche, a state in southeast Mexico.
‘Thank you for your love, beautiful people of Palizada, Campeche. When there’s a government at the people’s service, there is nothing that can stop our nation,’ she wrote on X alongside pictures of her hugging supporters.
Sheinbaum has since condemned the violence in the capital.
