Representatives of several high-profile human rights organizations gathered at Mexico City’s Estela de Luz monument on Tuesday morning to call on the government to act on human rights issues, mounting a banner that stated, “This is also in play.”
The protest on Paseo de la Reforma started around 5 a.m. when 18 activists from organizations such as Greenpeace and Amnesty International formed a human train around the monument to the Mexican Revolution, dating to 2011, a year after the 200th anniversary.
No road closures or traffic disruptions were reported.
Seven people from the group, equipped with helmets, harnesses, and ropes, spent two hours climbing the 104-meter Estela de Luz (Stele of Light) to hang banners at a height of around 60 meters, displaying messages on human rights, migration, environmental justice, disappearances and gun control.
The slogans read: Migration with dignity, Stop racism, Respect for autonomy, Environmental justice, Stop the weapons, Justice for the disappeared, People before commerce and The world is watching.
In a press statement, Amnesty International said those at the protest represented more than one hundred organizations.
“In a historic action, more than one hundred civil society organizations and networks from Mexico and the United States joined together to call on President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo to address the acute social and environmental problems plaguing the country, instead of focusing solely on the World Cup,” Amnesty International said in a press statement.
The protest took place two days ahead of the World Cup inauguration in Mexico City.
“While the Mexican government has announced investments of up to 2 billion pesos in mobility infrastructure… and the deployment of 100,000 public security officers… there is no consideration for the urgent needs of Mexican society,” Amnesty’s statement also said.
At a press conference at the monument, the activists stressed that with an official registry of more than 133,000 missing persons, “[the situation] is urgent.”
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The group also called for an end to the “inhumane and criminal raids” by the National Migration Institute in Mexico and the Immigration Enforcement Agency (ICE) in the United States, and called for the protection and reintegration of the more than 190,000 Mexican nationals deported between 2025 and March 2026.
In addition, they emphasized that the United States-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement (USMCA) should benefit not billionaires and corporations, but rather workers, the environment, agriculture, and human rights.
“We reiterate that the world has all eyes on the World Cup host countries, not only because of the sporting event but also as watchful eyes on the lack of action regarding crucial societal issues,” Amnesty said.
The protest organizers are expected to continue speaking out about these issues throughout the World Cup.
Tuesday’s protest marks the third time that members of civil society organizations have climbed the Estela de Luz to denounce human rights violations.
With reports from La Silla Rota and La Jornada
