 "A few thousand people took to the streets of Mexico City on Saturday to protest growing crime, corruption and impunity. AP")
Thousands of Gen Z protesters took to the streets of Mexico City on Saturday to hold demonstrations against the growing crime and corruption across Mexico . While the protest was organised by members of Generation Z, it received strong backing from older supporters of opposition parties.
The protests in Mexico are coming at a time when, in several countries this year, members of the demographic group born between the late 90s and early 2010s have organised protests, raising concern over inequality, democratic backsliding and corruption across different nations around the world.
For instance, the largest Gen Z protests took place in Nepal in September after a ban on social media. The protest eventually led to the resignation of the country’s prime minister and the establishment of an interim government.
Why is Gen Z protesting in Mexico?
When it comes to Mexico, young people say that they are frustrated with systemic problems like corruption and impunity for violent crimes in the country. “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, CNN reported.
While protests are frequent in the country, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum still has high approval ratings. The protests are taking place amid a recent spate of high-profile murders that includes the assassination of a popular mayor in the western state of Michoacan .
Days ahead of the Saturday demonstrations, Sheinbaum accused right-wing parties of trying to infiltrate the Gen Z movement. She accused her political enemies of using bots on social media to increase attendance.
The Saturday marches were more than Gen Z protests and were attended by people from several age groups, with supporters of the recently killed Michoacan Mayor Carlos Manzo, attending the protest wearing the straw hats that symbolise his political movement.
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View All“The state is dying,” said Rosa Maria Avila, a 65-year-old real estate agent who travelled 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 told CNN while speaking about Manzo.