Mexico's new generation takes to the streets, accusing leaders of protecting cartels

Mexico's new generation takes to the streets, accusing leaders of protecting cartels

Gen Z activists are marching in Mexico City today against what they call a narco-state, while Mexican President Sheinbaum alleges the protesters are backed by right-wing parties.

Now we turn to Mexico City, where protests this afternoon turned violent. They were organized by young people, Generation Z, who say they're speaking out against a narcogovernment. These are the largest antigovernment protests since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office more than a year ago. Protesters have broken through a police barricade, and police have thrown tear gas and stun grenades at them. I spoke with NPR's Eyder Peralta, who is in Mexico City near the protest crowds.

Eyder, we can hear you out there on the streets. What is it that we're hearing and that you're seeing?

EYDER PERALTA, BYLINE: I mean, look, this protest started peaceful through the center of downtown, and now it has reached the Zocalo, which is Mexico City's main square, and it has turned violent. The government had put large metal barricades to try and block protesters from reaching the presidential palace. And protesters have now torn through the metal barricades, and they are trying to get through riot police. Riot police are firing tear gas, and they're firing stun grenades.

And this crowd is not leaving. They say they're looking for change in this country. They say that they want this government to take their suffering seriously. They say they want the pact that they say exists between the narcos and the government to end today. And that's what they're here for, and they say they're not leaving until they get that.

PFEIFFER: Eyder, what prompted these protests?

PERALTA: You know, what happened here is a small-town mayor was murdered at the beginning of November. And this mayor, he was the mayor of Uruapan Michoacan, and he had taken a full-frontal approach to fighting organized crime in his city.

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting) Mexico, Mexico, Mexico, Mexico.

PERALTA: And what he said is, you know, we're going to shoot first and ask questions later. And he would get on helicopters and order his police to shoot at narco traffickers or what he said were narco traffickers. And then November 1, on Day of the Dead, he was shot dead in the middle of his town in front of everyone, in front of a large crowd, and protests erupted almost immediately in his town. They were asking for justice. They were asking for those responsible to be held accountable. And now the protests have spread to Mexico City.

And this is remarkable, Sacha, because - and what's remarkable about it is that we just haven't seen, in recent memory, an anti-organized crime protest. And right now, I mean, I'm in the middle of this square, and they're calling for the president's resignation, and they're saying, you know, that this is a narcogovernment, just colluded with the narcos, and they say they're done with that, and they want the government to take a much stronger stance against organized crime in this country.

PFEIFFER: And Eyder, how is the government of Mexico reacting to all that?

PERALTA: Well, they're saying that this was a march organized by the opposition. I mean, to be honest, I've covered many marches in this country where they do tend to bus people in.

PERALTA: This is not that. This is a cross section of Mexican society from the upper class to the lower class, from old to young. And so this seems like Claudia Sheinbaum's - President Claudia Sheinbaum's first real test as a president. And she's extremely popular. Her popularity - her approval rating is at 70%. So this is an odd thing that we're seeing here in Mexico.

PFEIFFER: That is NPR's Eyder Peralta reporting from Mexico City. Eyder, thank you for covering this, and please be safe.

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