Mexico City, Nov 16: Several thousand people marched in Mexico City on Saturday to protest crime, corruption and impunity, in a demonstration led by Generation Z activists and supported by older opposition-aligned citizens.
While the march remained peaceful for most of the day, tensions escalated when some young protesters clashed with police. They hurled stones, fireworks, sticks and chains, and seized police shields.
According to the capital’s security secretary, Pablo Vázquez, 120 people were injured, including 100 police officers, and 20 protesters were arrested.
This demonstration is part of a broader global surge in Gen Z–driven activism in 2024. Young people in several countries have mobilised over concerns about inequality, corruption and democratic backsliding.
The most dramatic example occurred in Nepal, where mass youth protests triggered by a social-media ban contributed to the prime minister’s resignation.
In Mexico, many young protesters say they are increasingly frustrated by systemic corruption and a justice system that fails to hold perpetrators of violent crimes accountable.
Andres Massa, 29, who carried the pirate-skull flag that has become a Gen Z protest symbol, said the nation urgently needs better security. Older participants marched as well, including Arizbeth Garcia, a 43-year-old physician demanding more funding for the public health system and more protection for medical workers, who also face routine violence.
Despite public anxiety following several high-profile murders — including the killing of a well-known mayor in Michoacán — President Claudia Sheinbaum still enjoys high approval ratings. In the days before the march, she accused right-wing parties of attempting to infiltrate the Gen Z movement and using social-media bots to inflate turnout.
The protest highlighted rising youth-led discontent with Mexico’s insecurity and entrenched corruption. (AP)
