Thousands of protesters clashed with riot police in Mexico City on Saturday as demonstrations against rising crime and government corruption turned violent, leaving more than 100 officers injured and testing President Claudia Sheinbaum’s security policies.
Gen Z activists organized the protests, drawing people across age groups to the capital’s main plaza, the Zócalo, where masked demonstrators tore down metal barriers protecting the National Palace and attempted to breach the president’s residence. Police responded with tear gas and stun grenades.
Pablo Vázquez, Mexico City’s public safety secretary, said the clashes injured 100 police officers and sent 40 to hospitals. The violence also hurt 20 civilians. Police arrested 20 people on charges including battery and assault.
Frustration over the November 1 assassination of Carlos Manzo sparked the demonstrations. Gunmen shot dead the Uruapan mayor at a Day of the Dead public event after he led efforts against drug trafficking gangs in his town.
A group calling itself “Generation Z Mexico” organized the protest. The group describes itself in online manifestos as nonpartisan and representing Mexican youth fed up with violence, corruption and abuse of power. Similar youth-led protests have occurred this year in Nepal, Kenya, Bangladesh, and the Philippines.
However, critics questioned the demonstration’s composition and backing. Some Gen Z social media influencers withdrew support before Saturday’s march, while mainstream figures, including former President Vicente Fox and Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego, publicly endorsed the protests.
Sheinbaum accused right-wing opposition parties of attempting to infiltrate the movement and using social media bots to boost attendance. “It is a movement promoted from abroad against the government,” she said in the days before the protest.
At an event following the demonstrations, Sheinbaum condemned the violence. “There was a demonstration in Mexico City, where they say young people marched, but in reality, there were very few young people, and they violently removed some barriers and broke windows,” she said. “We say no to violence.”
The president, who took office in October 2024, maintains approval ratings above 70% but has drawn mounting criticism over her security policies following several high-profile murders, including Manzo’s assassination.
Protesters also marched in Puebla, Monterrey, and Guadalajara, as well as in Michoacán, where supporters of the slain mayor wore the straw hats symbolizing his political movement.
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