Key Takeaways
- Thousands protested in Mexico City against crime, corruption, and impunity
- Gen Z-led movement gained support from older opposition party members
- President Sheinbaum accused right-wing parties of infiltrating the protests
- March included supporters of assassinated Michoacan Mayor Carlos Manzo
Thousands of demonstrators flooded Mexico City streets on Saturday in a Generation Z-led protest against rising crime, corruption, and impunity that ultimately drew strong backing from older opposition party supporters.
The movement, organized by young Mexicans born between the late 1990s and early 2010s, reflects a global trend of Gen Z activism against inequality and democratic backsliding. Similar protests in Nepal recently led to the prime minister’s resignation.
“We need more security” said Andres Massa, a 29-year-old business consultant who carried the pirate skull flag that has become a global symbol of Gen Z protests.
Dr. Arizbeth Garcia, 43, joined the march demanding better healthcare funding and security for medical professionals. “Doctors are also exposed to the insecurity gripping the country, where you can be murdered and nothing happens,” she explained.
Political Context and Controversy
Despite recent high-profile murders including the assassination of popular Michoacan Mayor Carlos Manzo, President Claudia Sheinbaum maintains high approval ratings. Days before the protest, she accused right-wing parties of infiltrating the Gen Z movement and using social media bots to boost attendance.
The event saw mixed support as some Gen Z influencers withdrew backing while prominent figures like former President Vicente Fox and billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego voiced support.
Remembering Mayor Manzo
Protesters included supporters of the slain mayor, many wearing straw hats symbolizing his political movement.
“The state is dying,” said Rosa Maria Avila, a 65-year-old real estate agent who traveled from the town of Patzcuaro in Michoacan state.
“He was killed because he was a man who was sending officers into the mountains to fight delinquents. He had the guts to confront them,” she said of Manzo.
