Mexico City. With the participation of thousands of people, marches were held this Saturday by the self-proclaimed Generation Z, referring to people born between 1995 and 2012, and the"Hat March," both departing from the Angel of Independence and ending at the Zócalo. Although both marches proceeded peacefully and reached the Plaza de la Constitución, several protesters began to attack the metal barriers surrounding the National Palace, attempting to tear them down. This prompted police to fire tear gas and fire extinguishers from within the barriers.
Although they were called separately, the two demonstrations shared the same schedule and route and have similar demands: the rejection of Morena and the vindication of the figure of the assassinated mayor of Uruapan, Michoacán, Carlos Manzo.
The vanguard of the march, which developed peacefully and has already arrived at the Plaza de la Constitución, was occupied by the"Hat" movement, totally linked to Manzo, and behind it was the mobilization that the organization known as Generation Z had called for several days.
Chanting slogans like"Carlos didn't die, the government killed him" and "Out with Morena," the protesters marched along Paseo de la Reforma, many of them dressed in white and wearing hats like the ones Manzo used to wear.
“Carlos Manzo, hero of Mexico”, “Hats yes, hugs no”, and “Recall of mandate”, are some of the main slogans they launch.
The people, mostly adults and some young people, wave Mexican flags, some in black and white and others with a smiling skull.
This image, alluding to the anime 'One Piece', has been taken as the banner of the Generation Z organization, one of the organizers of the march.
Although they share the same schedule and route, the Generation Z march did not merge with the March of the Hat, whose main demands revolve around the figure of Carlos Manzo. A significant number of protesters directed their discontent toward the head of the Executive branch, Claudia Sheinbaum. Another constant chant among the various groups was"Out with Morena."
Even figures such as former senator Emilio Álvarez Icaza and Guadalupe Acosta Naranjo from the defunct PRD attended the mobilization.
The march was guarded by several dozen riot police who advanced along the sides of the demonstration.
Liliana Sánchez, from the State of Mexico, said that she decided to participate in the march to express her discontent because the “Government has control of everything” and there are no “checks and balances”.
He argued that “there were three branches of government, those three branches have disappeared, and there is no way to achieve a balance of power.” He criticized the Morena party for having added figures from the PRI and PAN parties to its ranks.
"It's another PRI, but a thousand times worse. It has people from other parties who joined Morena to continue stealing and perpetuating this system that has always been corrupt."
Upon entering the Zócalo plaza, a group of hooded youths with megaphones urged people not to touch the smiling skull flag displayed on the ground. They threatened to surround anyone who did.
Once in the country's main square, several young people managed to climb the metal fences surrounding the National Palace, while other protesters banged on the barriers amid shouts of"Yes we can!" There were also shouts of condemnation directed at those who climbed the fences, with slogans such as"You don't represent me" and "Get out, masked ones!"
From inside the metal fence, they have already begun releasing gas, apparently from fire extinguishers. Rocket explosions can also be heard.
Several protesters, clapping and punching, have begun to relentlessly pound on the metal fences. Meanwhile, another group of hooded youths are using hammers, and five young people have started climbing the three-meter-high fences. Some of the protesters are even carrying angle grinders, which they are using to try to break the joints between the fences and tear them apart.
In response, police officers on the other side of the fences threw fire extinguisher powder to push back the protesters, as the detonation of some devices thrown by a group of young people dressed in black and hooded began to be heard, who insisted on hitting the metal fences and breaking their joints with grinders or pliers, other attendees of the march called them not to fall into"acts of violence" that in their opinion could detract from today's mobilization.
From inside the barricades, the police continue to throw fire extinguisher gas and even small, circular, flaming objects that emit a lot of smoke. Tear gas is also being used.
At approximately 12:45, the protesters managed to open a gap in the metal fence protecting the plaza, which in turn intensified the use of tear gas by the uniformed officers.
All of this unfolded amidst chants and even with people playing Molotov's song 'Gimme the Power' through loudspeakers. In the already heated atmosphere, a person was accused of stealing a cell phone and was beaten by several protesters.
The violent acts in front of the National Palace have now lasted for about an hour.
Intermittently, a group of hooded individuals insist on hitting the fences with hammers and other objects, and also throw explosive devices.
They even used an electric saw on the welded wire to tear down the fences. On the other side of the fences, police have fired tear gas at least three times, causing eye irritation.
The contingents of Generation Z and the hat march, which have mingled, are retreating at times, away from the metal fences.
After several attempts, the protesters dressed in black managed to knock down one of the three-meter-high fences, but police blocked access to that point to prevent them from entering. Five minutes later, the demonstrators removed two more metal plates from the right side of the National Palace.
This intensified the throwing of gas, stones, and burning spheres from inside the police fence.
After knocking down the three fences, dozens of police officers came out from inside to form a second wall with their shields, as the protesters were about to knock down more metal blocks.
This led to a back-and-forth where uniformed officers threatened the crowd, causing the protesters to retreat, only to regroup and approach the area where the metal barriers had already been forcibly removed. Although calm is gradually returning to the Zócalo and its surroundings, some people are still confronting the police, accusing them of indiscriminate abuse and aggression against the crowd when dispersing the demonstration. Many people in the street are giving their accounts of cell phone thefts, beatings, and other abuses committed by the officers.
