Rioters stormed through security barricades outside Mexico City's presidential palace after an anti-cartel rally spiraled out of control, erupting into disorder. Young Mexicans — many of them Gen Z — clashed with police, shouting in anger about the corruption and relentless cartel violence that they say has taken over their country.
Hundreds of thousands took to the streets of the capital, marching toward the presidential palace, the official home of President Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office last October. The large-scale protest, led mostly by youth groups and backed by older opposition supporters, was a boiling point for citizens fed up with the government's failure to curb violence or create real economic opportunities.
Unrest in Mexico City
Several protestors, some openly demanding Sheinbaum's resignation, tried to push past the police barricades surrounding the palace. Officers fired tear gas into the crowd, sending people scrambling in every direction as panic spread.
The standoff between protesters and police dragged on for hours before calm was finally restored around the palace.
Pablo Vázquez, Mexico City police chief, said that 20 people were arrested and will face charges including battery, assault, and robbery, Bloomberg reported.
Vázquez also said that 60 officers were hurt during the chaos, with 40 needing to be taken to the hospital for treatment.
Anger over the November 1 killing of Carlos Manzo — the mayor of a violence-plagued town in western Mexico — weighed heavily on the minds of many who showed up to protest. Dozens of demonstrators wore the signature straw hats linked to his political movement, a symbol of their support for his hardline, zero-tolerance stance against organized crime.
"The state is dying," said Rosa Maria Avila, 65, a 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.
Citizens Demand Economic Prosperity
Saturday marked the largest protest against Sheinbaum so far. Throughout the week, she has pushed back against the growing wave of demonstrations, claiming that right-wing groups are fueling the unrest.
The uprising against Sheinbaum and her Morena party — which Manzo broke away from in 2024 — echoed other Gen Z–driven movements seen in places like Nepal and Madagascar, where young people helped bring down their governments.
Sheinbaum still has strong approval numbers, but a growing share of voters is starting to feel that she's not much different from the leaders who came before her.
Giovanna Agúndez, a 32-year-old protester, told Bloomberg, "This is exactly what happened with previous governments," capturing the frustration many in the crowd shared.
"Don't they always claim to be different? Doesn't Sheinbaum keep saying that all women, not only her, achieved power? Right now, I feel powerless," she added.
Sheinbaum wasn't at the National Palace when the protests erupted. She was nearly 600 miles away, in the southeastern state of Campeche, at the time. "Thank you for your love, beautiful people of Palizada, Campeche. When there's a government at the people's service, there is nothing that can stop our nation," she wrote on X alongside pictures of her hugging supporters.
