By Suzanne Downing 
Thousands of protesters, many of them members of the younger Generation Z, filled Mexico City’s historic Zócalo square on Saturday in a massive demonstration against cartel violence, government corruption, and what they described as growing ties between the ruling Morena party and organized crime.
The unrest is drawing renewed concern far beyond Mexico’s borders, including in Alaska, where thousands of residents travel to Mexico during the winter months for tourism, medical care, and warm-weather breaks.
The march, organized largely through social apps like Discord, quickly escalated into one of the most intense street confrontations in modern Mexican history. Protesters surged toward the National Palace, the seat of the executive branch and residence of President Claudia Sheinbaum, using metal barricades as battering rams to knock down newly installed security fencing.
Riot police responded with shields, non-lethal rounds, and repeated volleys of tear gas, creating chaotic scenes in downtown Mexico City as crowds scattered, reformed, and advanced again.
Officials reported more than 100 injured police officers and about 20 civilians hurt, with at least 40 arrests. Videos shared online show thick clouds of gas drifting across the plaza, masked demonstrators throwing rocks, and security barriers collapsing under pressure as police and protesters clashed just feet from the palace gates.
A preview of all my footage from today's riot in Mexico City as many are fed up with cartels and government corruption.
🚨: Full video in the link, make sure you're a subscriber: https://t.co/xW1bQzK2ID pic.twitter.com/SUcUMaWNJp
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) November 16, 2025
The protests were sparked by the Nov. 7 assassination of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo, an outspoken anti-cartel activist frequently compared to El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele for his uncompromising stance on organized crime. Manzo was gunned down during a Day of the Dead event in Michoacán state, one of the most violent regions in the country, where more than 1,000 intentional homicides have been recorded so far this year.
Grief quickly transformed into rage. Demonstrators chanted “narco-presidente,” accusing Sheinbaum of enabling what they call a “narco-state” and failing to curb the influence of cartels that have penetrated politics at every level. Many protesters wore masks and straw hats and waved pirate flags from the Japanese manga One Piece—a symbol of youth resistance that has appeared in protests across Asia and Latin America. Graffiti reading “NARCOESTADO” covered the temporary barriers around the palace, and posters showing politicians alongside the words “criminal politicians,” paired with QR codes linking to online accusations of corruption, were plastered across the site.
The Sheinbaum administration claimed the unrest was fueled by right-wing agitators and foreign actors, but protest organizers dismissed those accusations, describing the movement as a spontaneous uprising driven by anger, fear, and frustration among young people who feel their future is being consumed by cartel rule.
For Carlos Manzo 🇲🇽
Mexican President orders her troops to attack protesters at the Presidential Palace! It’s time to end corruption in Mexico!! pic.twitter.com/bXBYnNwdOQ— US Homeland Security News (@defense_civil25) November 16, 2025
The clashes also highlight a growing sense of instability in Mexico under Sheinbaum, who took office in October 2024 and has struggled to contain escalating cartel violence. Critics have mocked the palace’s towering metal security walls as a “new Berlin Wall,” and earlier this month, similar protests with anti-government graffiti targeted the same site over budget cuts and allegations of authoritarianism.
The widow of Mayor Manzo condemned the violence but urged peaceful demonstrations to continue in honor of her husband’s legacy.
For Alaskans, many of whom spend part of the winter months in Mexico, the unrest is a reminder that the nation’s political volatility and public-safety challenges can have real implications for travelers. What began as grief over a murdered mayor has erupted into a broader reckoning over Mexico’s security crisis, its government’s credibility, and a generation unwilling to accept life under the shadow of cartel power.
I wonder if the government will turn every stone to make sure that those who spoke up. Or just merely showed up are ruined socially and financially.
Imprisoned until they lose everything.
Are you suggesting they are using a stunt from Biden’s DOJ Jan 6 playbook?
My guess is they need to consult DJT when it comes to building a wall around their compound to keep the riffraff subdued.
Their “wall” looks like most everything else built in Mexico…half a$$ed.