The main focus of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Monday morning press conference was the protest against insecurity and corruption that took place in Mexico City on Saturday.
While the march from the Angel of Independence monument to the Zócalo, Mexico City’s main square, was largely peaceful, the protest turned violent in the Zócalo when a so-called “black bloc” of protesters tore down part of a barrier protecting the National Palace and attacked police officers, 100 of whom were injured, according to authorities.
Mass protest against insecurity and the Morena party turns violent in Mexico City
Anti-government and anti-Morena sentiment was on prominent display during the march, with some protesters even calling for Sheinbaum to resign.
A major catalyst for the protest was the Nov. 1 assassination of Uruapan mayor Carlos Manzo, an outspoken anti-crime crusader who had urged the federal government to take a more active and aggressive approach to combating Mexico’s notorious criminal organizations, among which are six drug cartels that were designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the Trump administration earlier this year.
Sheinbaum: Opposition promoted ‘Gen Z’ protest with 90 million pesos
Sheinbaum noted that last Thursday, the government’s fake news debunker-in-chief, Miguel Ángel Elorza Vásquez, gave a detailed overview of how last Saturday’s protests were promoted on social media.
“They promoted this idea that they were young people organically calling for this march called the ‘Generation Z’ march. But here it was shown how, in reality, there was a push of about 90 million pesos [US $4.9 million] promoting this protest from the opposition, on one hand, and also with the support of a businessman,” she said, referring to Ricardo Salinas.
According to the information presented by Elorza, the promotion of the protests was paid for by foreign right-wing organizations and individuals in collaboration with Mexican people, such as Salinas and others affiliated with Mexican opposition parties.
“A lot of [social media] accounts, even from abroad, promoted this protest,” said Sheinbaum.
The ‘vast majority’ of protesters weren’t young people, says Sheinbaum
Sheinbaum said that “the vast majority of those who marched on Saturday weren’t young people from Generation Z.”
“Yes, there were some young people, but the majority weren’t young,” she said.
Indeed, most of the participants were older adults, according to various media reports.
“We saw the very familiar faces of those who marched with the Marea Rosa [Pink Tide],” Sheinbaum said, referring to large anti-government rallies that took place last year when former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador was still in office.
Sheinbaum: The objective of violent protesters was to ‘go against the police’
Sheinbaum displayed images of acts of violence committed during Saturday’s protest in Mexico City as well as photos of injured police officers. She also presented confronting video footage of a group of protesters attacking a police officer.
Sheinbaum said that the goal of tearing down barriers that protected the National Palace wasn’t to get to the building in order to vandalize it or to attempt to gain entry, but rather to “go against the police” who were situated behind it.
“This very violent group that arrived with material to break the fence … doesn’t even arrive at the Palace, but rather launch themselves at police in a very violent way,” she said.
“… They removed the barriers in the Zócalo, broke them and threw rocks at the police officers’ shields,” Sheinbaum said, adding that the police resisted for “hours” before they were pushed and “this violence” ensued.
The president said she had asked the Mexico City attorney general to investigate “who these groups are,” what motivated their acts of violence and whether they were paid.
“This idea they wanted to create, … that young people are against the [fourth] transformation [political project] is false,” she added.
Sheinbaum said that an investigation into a person who was filmed shouting “you’re going to die” to police must be carried out. A reporter noted that the person also said, “we have weapons.”
Sheinbaum said that Mexico City authorities also need to investigate whether any police officers broke with “police discipline” during the protest in the capital.
There were reports of a range of abuses allegedly committed by police against protesters.
On Monday, Mexico City Security Minister Pablo Vázquez said that 18 incidents in which police officers may have violated acceptable police conduct were under investigation.
Sheinbaum: ‘We want there to be responsible opposition’
Sheinbaum said that if Mexico’s opposition wants to attract more people to their cause, “violence won’t help them.”
“In Mexico, violence is rejected. People don’t want violent actions,” she said.
“And there can be opposition, it’s good that there is opposition in Mexico,” Sheinbaum added.
She asserted that claims that “we want ‘a single way of thinking’ are false.
“We want there to be opposition, responsible opposition, with high-level debate, with proposals, but violence leads nowhere,” Sheinbaum said.
“… No to violence. … Those who promote violence don’t help the country. Those who promote violence don’t help themselves. Those who promote violence don’t create a high-level debate in our country,” she said.
Sheinbaum: Salinas’ television stations sought to create impression that ‘the government is repressive’
Sheinbaum said that “in effect,” billionaire businessman Ricardo Salinas — an outspoken government critic — promoted the protests that took place in Mexico City and dozens of other Mexican cities on Saturday.
“No llenaron el zócalo, ¿cuánta gente participó?. A diferencia del 2023, la marea rosa llenó la plancha del zócalo. Esta movilización fue impulsada por una televisora (TV Azteca-Salinas Pliego). Vimos las mismas caras de la marea rosa”#MañaneradelPueblo
Claudia Sheinbaum.
RT👇 pic.twitter.com/cfjuP9HPl9— David Vargas Araujo (@DavidVargasA18) November 17, 2025
“He was writing against us [on social media] and promoting the protest, egging it on,” she said.
Sheinbaum also said that Salinas’ television channels, which include Azteca Uno and ADN40, “followed the entire protest” in Mexico City, and asserted that their presenters sought to create the idea that “the government is repressive and young people don’t agree with the government.”
However, “the majority of the people in Mexico” and “the majority of young people” support “the transformation,” she said, referring to the fourth transformation (4T) political project initiated by López Obrador and continued by the current government.
Sheinbaum also said that “young people aren’t repressed [by the government] in Mexico.”
“On the contrary, we give them scholarships, we give them schools, we give them jobs, we embrace young people, and we listen to them. If there is a legitimate, justified demand, we must listen to young people,” she said.
‘In Mexico there is peace’
Sheinbaum noted that a danzón (a dance genre) festival was held in the Zócalo on Sunday, a day after violent scenes played out in the large square in the historic center of Mexico’s capital.
She also said that when she returned to Mexico City from a weekend trip to the state of Tabasco, the historic center was packed with Buen Fin shoppers and people were “happy.”
Despite the violence in the Zócalo on Saturday — and major insecurity problems in various parts of the country — “in Mexico there is peace,” declared Sheinbaum, whose government has reduced homicides but by no means has pacified the country.
“And we’re attending to everything that has to do with insecurity and violence,” she added.
“That has to be attended to, as we are doing. And if we have to dedicate more [to the fight against crime] we will,” said Sheinbaum, whose government last week presented “Plan Michoacán for Peace and Justice” in response to the assassination of Carlos Manzo and general insecurity in the state.
‘The electoral period is approaching, and let the people say what they want’
Sheinbaum noted that her presidency will be subject to a “revocation of mandate” recall vote in 2027.
“The revocation of mandate is a slogan of ours. Who proposed it was President López Obrador, who put it in the constitution was President López Obrador. And of course I’m going to subject myself to the revocation of mandate [vote], because that’s what the constitution says,” she said.
Sheinbaum — a highly popular president — noted that AMLO attracted 90% support when his presidency was the subject of a recall election in 2022, at which turnout was below 20%.
She also noted that Mexicans will have the opportunity to elect governors in many states in 2027 as well as federal deputies and mayors.
“The electoral period is approaching, and let the people say what they want,” Sheinbaum said.
A revocation of mandate vote was one of the demands of the Generation Z organizers of Saturday’s protests, even though a recall election is already provided for in the Mexican Constitution.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
