After Nepal, Gen-Z erupts again: Thousands hit the streets after mayor’s murder

Mexico City (The Uttam Hindu): Generation Z anger has erupted against the government in Mexico City. Thousands of Gen Z members took to the streets to protest rising crime, corruption, and impunity. Organized by members of Gen Z, the protests were also supported by older supporters of opposition parties. However, the protests quickly escalated into violence, leaving several people injured and dozens detained.

According to Pablo Vázquez Camacho, the capital's Secretary of Civil Security (SSC), a total of 100 police officers were injured during Saturday's march, with 40 hospitalized. Of those hospitalized, 36 suffered concussions, while the remaining four are being treated for other injuries. According to reports from El Universal, a major local media outlet, 20 civilians were injured during the clashes.

Authorities confirmed that 20 people were arrested and presented to the public prosecutor. Another 20 were detained for administrative offenses and presented to a civil judge. Addressing the media after the Generation Z march, Vázquez Camacho said, “We condemn the violent events that occurred during the march and the existence of these organized groups that often validate, support, and endorse these acts from afar.”

People of all ages participated in the protest. Supporters of the recently assassinated Michoacán Mayor Carlos Manzo also attended, wearing straw hats, a symbol of their political movement. Manzo was shot and killed in Uruapan on November 1st, and police have said a 17-year-old boy was arrested and killed in connection with the incident. He was a drug addict.

Footage from the capital showed the march through the city, reaching Zocalo Square, before the demonstration turned into a confrontation with officers from the Secretariat of Civil Protection. In many countries this year, young people born between the late 1990s and early 2010s have been protesting against inequality, corruption and democratic decline.

The largest protests occurred in Nepal in September following a social media ban, which forced the resignation of then-Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. Last year, similar protests were also seen in Bangladesh.

Mexico's young people say they are deeply frustrated by systemic problems such as corruption and widespread impunity for violent crimes.