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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— AF Post (@AFpost) November 16, 2025

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.

Im rooting for them. https://t.co/HU51iTac57

— Cassandra MacDonald (@CassandraRules) November 16, 2025

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.

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Miriam, Jack, and Zury, 20-year-old triplets from Mexico, made aliyah to Israel on their own, driven by a strong sense of Zionism. Two of them are already serving in the IDF: Miriam is finishing her service at Machal Alon on her way to becoming a combat medic in the Medical Corps, and Zury is a helicopter technician. The third, Jack, will soon be enlisting in Machal Alon and is expected to serve in the Navy.

For a long time, the triplets hadn't seen their mother, Reyna. This week, thanks to a Taglit program, Reyna arrived in Israel and was reunited with her triplets at Fiverr's offices. "The moment I hugged them, I felt my heart return to its place. Seeing them mature, develop, and serve the country together is an irreplaceable experience," Reyna shared.

The reunion is part of Taglit's volunteer program, which brings parents of Lone Soldiers to Israel to volunteer for two weeks in various communities across the country. The program allows them to contribute to the community while also meeting with their children who are serving in the IDF. Gidi Mark, CEO of Taglit, said: "Many Lone Soldiers choose to serve the country during a challenging period, after they chose to make aliyah out of a sense of mission. Now, their parents have chosen to follow in their footsteps, if only for a short time, both to contribute to the country and to embrace their children whom they haven't seen for many months."

As part of the series of visits, Taglit collaborates with commercial companies that host the parents and soldiers, including Fiverr, which hosted them together at the company's offices in Tel Aviv. It was an emotional reunion where the parents saw their children for the first time in many months. Shay Goldenberg, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Fiverr, added: "Fiverr and the Colors Foundation are proud to support Taglit's activities and are excited to take part in a reunion that brings together soldiers who made aliyah with their families. Supporting Lone Soldiers is our duty, and it's important to us to ensure that no soldier feels alone. This is our way of expressing our gratitude to those who protect us every day."

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The 39-year-old fighter, whose father Julio César Chávez Sr. remains a boxing icon, was taken into custody in Los Angeles' Studio City area for suspected ties to organized criminal enterprises and illegal arms trafficking operations. Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Trisha McLaughlin stated, "Under President Trump, no one is above the law, including world-famous athletes."

"Chavez is a Mexican citizen who has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives. Chavez is also believed to be an affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. ICE arrested Chavez in Studio City, California, on July 2. US Citizenship and Immigration Services made a referral to ICE that Chavez is an egregious public safety threat," the DHS statement said.

McLaughlin issued a stern warning, saying, "Our message to any cartel affiliates in the US is clear: We will find you and you will face consequences. The days of unchecked cartel violence are over."

The boxer's American legal troubles span over a decade. Authorities arrested him in 2012 for driving under the influence without proper licensing and again in January 2024 for unlawful firearm possession. Mexican authorities currently seek his extradition for alleged criminal activities connecting him to prominent cartel operations. His deportation will severely impact his professional boxing prospects, effectively barring him from competing on American soil.

Chávez Jr. has established himself as a prominent figure in professional boxing, having faced elite competitors, including Canelo Álvarez. The WBC crowned him middleweight world champion in 2011, a title he defended for 15 months. His recent Saturday night bout against internet celebrity Jake Paul ended in defeat, dropping his professional record to 54-6-1.

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The training vessel Cuauhtémoc, carrying 277 crew members – primarily cadets – lost power while departing New York Harbor for Iceland around 8:30 p.m. River currents then pushed the ship into the roadway deck of the Brooklyn Bridge, causing the vessel's 147-foot masts to collide with the structure, which has a maximum clearance of 135 feet.

Witness Elijah West described the terrifying scene to The New York Post from Brooklyn Bridge Park: "The boat was coming under the bridge, and there were sailors on top of the boat, the sails hit the bridge and then people were falling off of the boat sails." West added, "It was crazy. We were standing under the bridge and we all started running. Then I saw people hanging from the sails. Police boats came around fast – about five minutes later. And then police guided the boat to the (Manhattan) bridge and started the rescue. It was a shock."

Alarming footage captured by witnesses shows the ship's masts breaking apart as they struck the bridge structure, with numerous crew members dangling precariously from the rigging. Panicked bystanders, who had gathered to watch the vessel's departure, could be heard in videos expressing alarm moments before impact. "She's about to crash," one witness said in footage, "Oh sh*t!"

The incident transformed what was meant to be a celebratory departure into a nightmare for witnesses like Ismari Romero, 43, who told The New York Post she was watching the sendoff from Pier 17. "We were scared – a lot of people were screaming, a lot of people were crying," Romero explained. "We were celebrating and we were saying goodbye and singing. We were all joyful, and they departed. And then they reached the Brooklyn Bridge."

First responders initially received reports of crew members falling into the water, prompting an extensive search, but sources later confirmed to The New York Post that no one had fallen overboard. The damaged vessel was directed to Pier 16, where emergency personnel treated the injured, with those in critical condition transported to nearby hospitals. Officials have not yet released the identities of the two crew members who died.

Retired US Navy Captain Alfred S. McClaren expressed disbelief at the accident when speaking to The New York Post. "I'm dumbfounded," the former nuclear submarine captain said. "It could lose power and drift. So the question is just how fast were they going. But why didn't they use a rudder one way or another? One of the first things I would have done is drop my anchor or anchors."

The Cuauhtémoc, built in Spain in 1982 specifically for training cadets, was visiting New York as part of a promotion for next year's Sail4th tall ship event commemorating America's 250th birthday, according to The New York Post. The vessel was on the third stop of an eight-month global voyage that would have taken the cadets to locations including Jamaica, Iceland, and Portugal.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed her condolences, saying she was "deeply saddened" over the deaths of the crew members. The Mexican navy released a statement acknowledging the accident, noting, "During the sailing maneuver of the Cuauhtémoc sailboat in New York, a mishap occurred with the Brooklyn Bridge, causing damage to the training ship, preventing the continuation of the training cruise for the time being."

The Brooklyn Bridge suffered minor damage in the collision but has since reopened to traffic. Fire officials warned of possible road closures near New Dock Street and Water Street in Brooklyn as emergency operations continued. The damaged ship is expected to be relocated to Pier 36.

This year's cadet class aboard the Cuauhtémoc was the largest in Mexican naval history with 175 trainees. Lt. Sg. Hugo Calvario, the ship's orthopedic surgeon, had told The New York Post earlier in the week, "The classes are getting bigger and bigger. We just keep getting more and more people! We had to leave almost 40% of the crew to take on more cadets."

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According to The New York Times, the tariffs are broadly applied: All imports from Canada and Mexico now face a 25% duty, with the exception of Canadian energy products, which are subject to a lower 10 % tariff. Chinese goods have been hit with a 20% tax, doubling the 10% tariff that was imposed last month, The New York Times reported. Together, these three nations account for more than a third of all products entering the United States and support tens of millions of American jobs.

The paper noted that these measures come after Trump agreed to pause the implementation of tariffs on Canada and Mexico for 30 days following promises from both governments to enhance their oversight of fentanyl trafficking and border security. The president has justified the tariffs as necessary measures to combat "mass numbers of people to come in and fentanyl to come in," The Times reported, citing these concerns as the basis for invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Economic experts are already warning about potential consequences. Felix Tintelnot, associate professor of economics at Duke University, told the paper that while price increases might not be immediate for all products, "if these tariffs are there to stay, then these price increases are going to come eventually."

Consumers could see rapid price increases for perishable goods imported from Mexico, such as avocados, cucumbers, and tomatoes, potentially within weeks. According to the US outlet, durable goods like automobiles might experience a delayed price effect due to existing inventory or if companies expect the tariffs to be temporary.

The auto and electric equipment sectors in Mexico are most vulnerable to disruption from these sweeping tariffs, as is mineral processing in Canada, according to economists at S&P Global. Within the United States, farming, fishing, metal production, and automobile manufacturing face the greatest risks.

Energy prices also stand to be affected, as roughly 60% of oil imported to the United States comes from Canada. The paper reported that tariffs on Canadian energy, though lower than other imports at 10%, could lead to higher prices at gas pumps, particularly in the US Midwest, where refineries process Canadian oil into gasoline and diesel.

Inflation concerns loom large in economic forecasts. Analysts at Goldman Sachs have warned that across-the-board tariffs would not only raise prices but also slow economic growth, the Times noted. Peter Simon, economics professor at Northeastern University, told the NYT that an uptick in inflation is an "unavoidable result" of the tariffs, while also cautioning about the risk of "opportunistic pricing" – companies using tariffs as justification to raise prices more than necessary.

When President Trump previously imposed tariffs on China during his first term, economic studies found that most costs were passed on to American consumers – a scenario likely to repeat itself. This could mean higher prices across multiple sectors, from grocery stores to car dealerships to gas stations.

Transportation data showed modest increases in freight volumes on road and rail in the weeks before Trump's executive orders, though experts noted the situation differed from the supply chain crisis of 2021-2022, when shipping costs skyrocketed and contributed significantly to inflation.

As businesses and consumers brace for the economic impact of these new trade measures, the administration's approach represents a return to the trade policy stance that characterized Trump's first term, though potentially on a broader scale given the comprehensive nature of these latest tariffs.

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Google has officially aligned with US President Donald Trump's directive regarding geographical nomenclature. Users searching Google Maps will now find the Gulf of America instead of the Gulf of Mexico, according to overnight reports (Tuesday).

We've received a few questions about naming within Google Maps. We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.

— News from Google (@NewsFromGoogle) January 27, 2025

The modification comes precisely one week after the executive order signed by the 47th US president, who assumed office eight days ago. This change represents one of dozens of campaign promises made by Trump, who moved swiftly to implement it along with numerous other executive orders within hours of taking office.

On Google's X account, the company announced: "We've received a few questions about naming within Google Maps. We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources."

The company clarified that users accessing the service from Mexico will continue to see the Gulf of Mexico designation, while users in other countries will see both Gulf of America and Gulf of Mexico used interchangeably.

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Mexico is weighing the use of masked judges to preside over organized crime trials, a measure aimed at shielding members of the judiciary from potential retribution by drug cartels. This proposal, added this week to a contentious package of judicial reforms, comes in response to a surge in murders of police chiefs, prosecutors, and judges as cartel power has expanded since 2018.

Mexico's courts could use masked judges for cartel trialshttps://t.co/Qvt3nlSmVH

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) August 28, 2024

According to The Telegraph, the amendment to the planned overhaul of the court system calls for "judges without faces," leaving the implementation details to senior judges. This consideration follows several high-profile attacks on judicial figures, including the murder of Judge Roberto Elías Martínez in the central state of Zacatecas in December 2022. Prosecutors allege that Martínez's assassination was ordered from within a prison where two defendants in cases he was overseeing were being held. In Zacatecas, 103 judges have reportedly received threats.

The proposal draws parallels to measures employed in Peru during the 1990s to try alleged members of the Shining Path terrorist group. However, the Peruvian system, which involved masked judges or those seated behind screens, proved highly controversial and led to numerous miscarriages of justice.

The United Nations has cautioned that the use of anonymous judges could potentially violate suspects' rights to due process. Despite these concerns, the judicial reform package, which also includes provisions for the election of judges, appears to have sufficient support in the Mexican Congress to pass.

Critics have labeled the reforms as populist and authoritarian, arguing they could undermine judicial independence and allow political control over the courts. The proposed changes have sparked economic concerns, with the Mexican peso's value declining as investors worry about the rule of law in the country.

US Ambassador Ken Salazar has taken the unusual step of publicly criticizing the reforms, describing them as a "threat to democracy." This statement prompted a sharp response from outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who announced on Tuesday that he was putting relations with the United States and Canada "on pause" after both countries questioned the legal reforms.

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The upcoming inauguration of Mexico's president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum has become a focal point of international attention, as Ukraine calls for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin should he attend the event. The Ukrainian embassy in Mexico made the request on Aug. 7, citing an international arrest warrant issued against Putin for alleged war crimes.

According to The Kyiv Independent, the Ukrainian embassy expressed gratitude to Mexico for inviting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the Oct. 1 ceremony, while also urging compliance with the arrest warrant. "We trust that the Mexican government will comply with the international arrest warrant and hand over the aforementioned [Putin] to the United Nations judicial body in The Hague," the embassy stated.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued the arrest warrant for Putin in March 2023, accusing him of war crimes related to the forced deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia following Moscow's invasion in early 2022.

Juan Ramon de la Fuente, designated as Sheinbaum's foreign minister, explained that inviting leaders of all countries with which Mexico has diplomatic relations, including both Russia and Ukraine, is "standard protocol" for such events.

The situation is complicated by Mexico's ICC membership and its strengthening ties with Russia. Putin congratulated Sheinbaum on her June victory, referring to Mexico as Russia's "historically friendly partner" in Latin America.

Sheinbaum, set to become Mexico's first female president, secured a historic win in the general election on June 2 and will begin her six-year term in October. Both Putin and Zelenskyy were among the world leaders who extended their congratulations.

The Kyiv Independent also reported that according to Russia's Izvestia newspaper, Mexico has formally invited Putin to attend the inauguration. The newspaper cited the Mexican embassy in Russia as its source for this information.

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Yolanda Sanchez Figueroa, the mayor of Cotija in western Mexico was assassinated just 24 hours after Claudia Sheinbaum was elected as the Latin American country's first female president. The murder cast a pall over Ms. Sheinbaum's historic inauguration, which had raised hopes for transformative change in the nation.

In a statement on X, the interior ministry of Michoacan state condemned "the murder of the municipal president (mayor) of Cotija, Yolanda Sanchez Figueroa." According to local media reports, Ms. Sanchez, who was elected mayor in 2021, was gunned down on a public road.

Authorities have not provided details on the murder, but they said a security operation has been launched to apprehend the killers.

Ms. Sanchez had previously been kidnapped in September of last year while leaving a shopping mall in the city of Guadalajara in the neighboring state of Jalisco. Three days after her abduction, the federal government announced that she had been found alive. At the time, local media reports suggested that the kidnappers belonged to the powerful Jalisco Cartel – New Generation (CJNG), a violent group that allegedly threatened the mayor for opposing their attempts to control her municipality's police force.

Michoacan is renowned for its tourist destinations and thriving agro-export industry, but it is also one of the most violent states in the country due to the presence of extortion and drug trafficking gangs.

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In 2008, analysts viewed the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States as a sign of the US entering a "post-racial" era, after centuries of dealing with slavery and anti-black laws and discrimination. In 2006, Bolivia, one of the world's only indigenous-plurality countries, elected Evo Morales, an Aymara coca grower as president, spurring talk of a "second founding" for indigenous rights in Bolivia in Latin America.

Video: Celebrations following Mexico's elections / Reuters

Now that Mexico has just elected a Jewish president, technocrat, scientist, and former mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, will her election help address the antisemitism problem in the country and the region?

Latin America is home to approximately 500,000 Jews, including nearly 60,000 in Mexico alone (out of 130 million people).

Though Sheinbaum identifies as a secular Jew like most Mexican Jews, her election could mean a lot for the future of Jews within Latin America. To understand the significance of Sheinbaum's election, we must first look at the scale of antisemitism facing Latin America.

Sheinbaum's ancestry has been attacked, claiming she has dual allegiance and that she may not be Mexican. Antisemitic attacks in Mexico have risen significantly since the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas.

Vicente Fox, Mexico's former president, accused Sheinbaum, the daughter of Jewish parents, of being "a Jew and foreigner at the same time," reposting a meme that called Sheinbaum a "Bulgarian Jew."

Getty ImagesClaudia Sheinbaum waves at supporters, June 3, 2024 in Mexico City, Mexico (Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images)Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the outgoing Mexican president, has made comparisons between Israel and the Nazis, even accusing Jewish members of the Mexican opposition of supporting "Hitlerism." AMLO, as he is more commonly known, had even floated the idea of cutting diplomatic ties with Israel altogether, an idea that Bolivia, Chile, and Honduras and Colombia followed through on.

In Mexico, José Vasconselos, one of the founding philosophers of modern Mexico and leaders of the "cosmic race" movement, held deeply antisemitic views. In an op-ed from December by Francisco Ruiz Quirrín, a columnist for the ultra-conservative weekly Primera Plana, he warned, in connection with a Sheinbaum victory, that "the Jewish community is willing to exert whatever pressure is necessary to influence one of its own over any political commitment."

Deeply held public antisemitism is not a unique feature of Mexican politics and society, but of Latin America altogether.

In recent events across Latin America, antisemitism has manifested in various disturbing ways. In Peru, right-wing extremists targeted a prominent Jewish journalist by shouting antisemitic slurs outside his home and displaying posters depicting rats with bags of money. Meanwhile, in Nicaragua, Jewish cemeteries have been desecrated and vandalized.

Argentina's new president, Javier Milei, who professes support for Jewish people and Israel, appointed Rodolfo Barra as the lead prosecutor. Barra was previously a member of a right-wing group responsible for numerous antisemitic acts, including attacks on synagogues, a violent riot in a Jewish neighborhood, and the murder of a Jewish lawyer. Despite his history, he will now oversee the prosecution of antisemitism in Argentina.

APSupporters of ruling party presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum celebrate at the Zocalo, Mexico City's main square, June 3, 2024 (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)Political leaders across nearly all Latin American countries perpetuate myths about Jewish control over the media, politics, and the economy. Among the supporters of these antisemitic narratives are José Antonio Kast, the son of a Nazi SS lieutenant and a leading candidate in Chile's presidential race, and Daniel Jadue, the mayor of Recoleta with ties to the Palestinian Liberation Organization. Additionally, several politicians and groups linked to former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro have propagated antisemitic conspiracies and adopted neo-Nazi symbols.

Historically, this pervasive antisemitism has often escalated to violence. In 1992, Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad bombed the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, followed by the AMIA (Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina) Jewish community center in 1994, resulting in 114 deaths. In 2009, armed vandals attacked Venezuela's oldest synagogue as a protest against Israel, with the Chávez government swiftly expressing support for the attackers rather than protecting its Jewish citizens.

Iran plays a significant role in supporting antisemitic activities in the region, regularly funding operations against Jewish communities. Over the past five years, Iran has signed multiple security agreements with Latin American governments and supports terrorist organizations, including Hezbollah, in attacking Jews and Israelis in Latin America. As a result, Israeli diplomats and intelligence operatives in the region frequently face dangerous and sometimes lethal assaults.

Following the October 7th attacks, antisemitic rhetoric intensified. Colombian President Gustavo Petro likened Israel's treatment of Gaza to the Nazis' actions in the Warsaw Ghetto. Brazil's President Lula compared Israeli policies towards Palestine to a "new Holocaust," claiming Israelis are the new Nazis. Former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya declared that anyone supporting Israel is not human. Additionally, Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro regularly broadcasts dehumanizing rants against Jews and Zionists on national television.

Commonly held antisemitic and ignorant tropes about Jews are also a problem.

Recent polling conducted in Uruguay, Mexico, and other Latin American countries tells us that Jews are seeing a rise in overt antisemitism from their communities and that antisemitic beliefs are commonly held. Conspiracy theories about Jewish global domination or Jewish plots for war are also frequently held by regular people. As a result, an overwhelming majority of Jews in Latin America are fearful for their lives. According to the Anti-Defamation League, 24 percent of Mexicans openly discriminate against Jews or hold antisemitic beliefs, with an average of 33% for all of Latin America.

Hopefully, Sheinbaum can help educate Mexicans and Latin Americans about Jewish life and culture and make antisemitism more socially unacceptable. Sheinbaum could also use her new platform to elevate Jewish voices, educate the public (and leaders), and tackle antisemitism head-on.

That power, however, remains in her hands.

Joseph Bouchard is a freelance journalist and analyst covering geopolitics in the Americas, with reporting experience in Bolivia, Colombia, and Brazil. His articles have appeared in The Diplomat, Mongabay, Le Devoir, La Razón, The Jerusalem Post, and Brazilian Report.

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