Thousands have taken to the streets of Mexico City to protest against crime and corruption – with 120 people left injured, according to authorities.
Pablo Vazquez, security secretary for Mexico’s capital, said that of those injured, 100 were police officers with 40 hospitalised, while 20 people were arrested.
The demonstration, which was mostly peaceful but ended with some clashes with officers, was organised by young people under the banner Generation Z.
Clara Brugada, mayor of Mexico City, said on X that “violent expression violates the rights of others” and condemned any act “carried out by a radical group of protesters”.
One group, calling itself Generation Z Mexico, called for the protests and said in a “manifesto” circulating on social media that it represents Mexican youth fed up with violence, corruption and abuse of power.
Generation Z – or Gen Z for short – refers to an age demographic of people born between the late 1990s and early 2010s.
While the exact years vary depending on who is recording it, those considered Gen Z were typically born between 1997 and 2012, so would be between 28 and 13 years old.
Mexico has seen a recent spate of high-profile murders, including the fatal shooting of the mayor of the Uruapan municipality during Day Of The Dead festivities at the start of the month.
Supporters of Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodriguez, an outspoken critic of organised crime, were seen on Saturday wearing straw hats – a symbol of the mayor’s political movement.
Eyewitnesses told the Reuters news agency that a small group of protesters tore down fences around the National Palace where Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum lives, leading to clashes with riot police who used tear gas.
Some demonstrators in Mexico City protested against Ms Sheinbaum’s party, while others called for stronger state efforts to stop crime and violence, shouting: “Carlos did not die, the government killed him.”
Other marches took place across Mexico, including in the western state of Michoacan, where Mr Manzo was murdered.
Reuters reported that Mexico’s government is claiming that the protests on Saturday were organised largely by right-leaning political opponents, and were promoted by bots on social media.
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It marks the latest instance of mass protests from young people, after a Gen Z uprising ousted the president of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina, earlier this month.
And in September, anti-government protests that exploded after Nepalese authorities blocked several social media platforms led to mass unrest and the resignation of the prime minister KP Sharma Oli.
