Mexico City witnessed a massive demonstration on Sunday 16th November 2025, as thousands of young people, identifying as Generation Z, flooded the streets to voice their profound anger against rampant crime and systemic corruption.
Clashes and Casualties in the Capital
The protest, largely peaceful for much of its duration, culminated in violent confrontations with riot police. According to Pablo Vazquez, the security secretary for Mexico's capital, the clashes resulted in 120 people injured. A significant majority of the casualties were law enforcement, with 100 police officers hurt and 40 of those requiring hospitalisation. Authorities confirmed that 20 people were arrested during the unrest.
Eyewitness accounts reported to Reuters detailed how a segment of the demonstrators tore down security fences surrounding the National Palace, the residence of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. This act provoked a forceful response from riot police, who deployed tear gas to disperse the crowd. Photographs from the scene captured the intensity, showing one protester striking an officer with a metal chain.
A Movement Born from Violence
The protest was galvanised by a recent spate of high-profile murders that have shocked the nation. A key catalyst was the fatal shooting of Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodriguez, the mayor of the Uruapan municipality. He was murdered during Day of the Dead festivities at the start of the month and was known as an outspoken critic of organised crime.
His supporters were visible during related gatherings on Saturday, wearing straw hats that symbolised his political movement. During the main protest in Mexico City, chants of "Carlos did not die, the government killed him" echoed through the streets, as some demonstrators protested against President Sheinbaum's party and others demanded more robust state action against violence.
The group Generation Z Mexico, which called for the protests, circulated a "manifesto" on social media. It declared that the movement represents Mexican youth who are fed up with enduring violence, corruption, and the abuse of power.
Official Condemnation and Wider Unrest
The official response was critical of the violence. Clara Brugada, the mayor of Mexico City, took to the social media platform X to state that "violent expression violates the rights of others" and condemned acts carried out by what she described as a "radical group of protesters".
Meanwhile, the federal government has suggested that the protests were largely organised by right-leaning political opponents and amplified by bots on social media. The unrest was not confined to the capital; solidarity marches also took place in other regions, including the western state of Michoacan, where Mayor Manzo was killed.
This event in Mexico is part of a broader pattern of youth-led political movements, following recent Gen Z uprisings that led to the ousting of the president in Madagascar and contributed to the resignation of the prime minister in Nepal.
