Thousands protested cartels and government in Mexico

Thousands of protesters took to the streets to protest violent crime and President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government.

Sheinbaum’s administration claims the protests were organized by ‘Gen Z’ groups incited by recent high-profile killings, including the assassination just weeks ago of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo, who had called for tough action against cartels.

Protesters broke down barriers protecting the National Palace, where Sheinbaum lives. Police protecting the compound used tear gas on the crowds.

Mexican authorities arrested 20 people for crimes including robbery and assault against police officers.

Protesters were seen wearing shirts and holding signs saying “We are all Carlos Manzo,” a Former Member of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies who was assassinated on November 1.

Manzo was an outspoken critic of organized crime syndicates in Mexico and worked to lessen the control cartels have on the Mexican economy.

“He was killed because he was a man who was sending officers into the mountains to fight delinquents,” said one protester. “He had the guts to confront them.”

The protests outside Sheinbaum’s residence began peacefully, but eventually escalated, with demonstrators throwing rocks and police responding with batons and shields.

Pablo Vázquez, the security chief for Mexico City, made a statement to the media.

“For many hours, this mobilisation proceeded and developed peacefully, until a group of hooded individuals began to commit acts of violence,”

Vázquez also confirmed that 100 police officers were injured, 40 of whom required treatment at a hospital. Twenty protesters were also injured in the demonstration. Nobody was severely injured.

Footage of riot police kicking and punching protesters has spread on social media.

A journalist with La Jornada accused police of assaulting him as he attempted to cover the rally:

Claudia Sheinbaum became Mexico’s first female president in a landslide victory in June 2024.

Winning more than 58% of the vote, she won with more than a 30-point swing over her rival, Xóchitl Gálvez.

The protests come as a bit of a shock, as Sheinbaum still owns a 70% approval rating after a full year in office.

Sheinbaum claims the demonstrations were perpetrated and funded by right-wing politicians who oppose her government.

Sheinbaum has been acting against cartels, but has refrained from enacting a ‘war on drugs,’ which is what her constituents want.

President Sheinbaum has also been criticized for failing to halt the violence gripping the country and is now facing increased hostility from nearby countries. Earlier this month, Peru’s Congress voted to declare Sheinbaum a ‘persona non grata,’ making her unwelcome in the country after Mexico granted asylum to a former Peruvian prime minister facing charges for a 2022 coup attempt.

There were also reports of protests in Guadalajara, where 47 people were detained and 13 people injured, including three police officers, according to authorities.

This protest is another example of ‘Generation Z’ (people born between 1997 and 2012) taking political matters into their own hands. Just this year, Gen Z groups have organized protests in the US, Nepal, Indonesia, the Philippines, and a half-dozen other countries.

The group behind the protests, “Generation Z Mexico,” has described itself in a viral manifesto as a non-partisan group representing young people fed up with violence, corruption, and concentration of power.