Thousands of demonstrators protested Saturday night in Mexico City, Mexico's capital, against Urápan Mayor Carlos Manzo's murder and against drug cartels and crime gangs controlling the country. The demonstration has already earned the designation "Mexico's Gen Z protest," referencing the youth protest wave that has swept numerous countries in recent months.
Mexicans spray-painted "Jewish whore" on the National Palace gates in Mexico, following widespread discontent with Claudia Sheinbaum, the country's female Jewish president.
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Demonstrators spray-painted antisemitic graffiti on the presidential palace and painted crossed-out Stars of David. Some documented inscriptions stated "Jewish bi*ch." Thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets of Mexico City, and in the central plaza facing the presidential palace, violent confrontations erupted when protesters attempted to breach security barriers and enter President Claudia Sheinbaum's residence. Police responded with tear gas, stun grenades, and clubs.
The country's authorities reported 100 police officers were wounded in the confrontations, and 40 required hospital evacuation. Twenty civilians were wounded, and 20 others were arrested.
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Additional demonstrations occurred simultaneously throughout Mexico, primarily in Michoacán in the country's west, where Urápan Mayor Carlos Manzo was assassinated on November 1. Manzo was shot to death at a public Day of the Dead event, after waging a campaign against drug cartels in the city. His supporters came to the Mexico City demonstration wearing straw hats – the symbol the deceased mayor adopted.
Manzo, 40, was a former legislator from the ruling leftist party Morena, but separated from it and competed as an independent for Urápan's mayorship. He won the election in June 2024 with 66% of the votes, becoming Urápan's first independent mayor. Manzo embraced a "confrontation" strategy with the drug cartels extorting the region's farmers.
"He was murdered because he dared to confront the criminals and sent police to the mountains to fight them," one protester told Associated Press. Some demonstrators in Mexico City directed their fury toward the president's party, chanting, "Morena out." Others demanded the state operate more decisively against crime and violence, shouting "Carlos didn't die – the government killed him."
Video: Demonstrations in Mexico City
A group identifying itself as "Gen Z Mexico," which organized the demonstration calls, released a manifesto on social media declaring it belongs to no party and represents young Mexicans exhausted by violence, corruption, and power abuse.
Mexico is simply the latest in an extensive line of Global South nations where protests labeled "Gen Z protests" have exploded, referring to demonstrators born primarily after 1997. Such demonstrations have led to government overthrows in Nepal and Madagascar this year, as well as in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in recent years. Substantial Gen Z protests also occurred in Indonesia, Peru, Morocco, Kenya, and the Philippines.
President Sheinbaum, who assumed office in October 2024 after succeeding Andrés Manuel López Obrador from the Morena party, still enjoys elevated approval ratings of approximately 70%, but has received criticism regarding her security policies following the assassinations of prominent figures, including Manzo's.
The government questioned the motivations behind the demonstration, arguing that it was largely organized by the right-wing opposition and amplified by bots on social media.
