In Mexico City, a wave of discontent surged as predominantly Gen Z protestors converged on the National Palace, voicing their anger over rampant corruption and escalating cartel violence.

On Saturday, thousands took to the streets of the capital, marching towards the presidential residence, home to Claudia Sheinbaum, who assumed office as the progressive leader last October.

The protest, spearheaded by youthful activists and bolstered by seasoned supporters of opposition groups, represented a boiling point of public frustration with the administration’s failure to curb violence and foster economic growth.

Many demonstrators demanded Sheinbaum’s resignation and attempted to break through the police barricades encircling the palace.

In response, law enforcement deployed tear gas, dispersing the crowd as chaos ensued, sending people fleeing in various directions.

Clashes between citizens and police lasted for hours, but eventually order was returned to the area around the palace.

Pablo Vazquez, Mexico City’s chief of police, said 20 people were arrested and are set to be charged with battery, assault and robbery, Bloomberg reported.

Vazquez added that 60 of his officers were injured, 40 of whom had to be sent to the hospital for treatment. 

Mexico City police are seen fighting with protestors outside the National Palace on Saturday after thousands of people flocked to the official residence of the president to demand her resignation

The thousands of demonstrators, many of them in Generation Z, are unsatisfied with President Claudia Sheinbaum’s leadership and say she has failed to contain cartel violence and corruption

Police responded to the sudden surge of protestors by shooting tear gas at them

Outrage over the November 1 assassination of Carlos Manzo, the mayor of a crime-ridden town in western Mexico, was on the mind of most people who joined the protest.

Many could be seen wearing straw hats that symbolize his political movement, which is vigorously focused on having a zero-tolerance policy for organized crime.

‘The state is dying,’ said Rosa Maria Avila, a 65-year-old real estate agent who traveled from the town of Patzcuaro in Michoacan state.

‘He was killed because he was a man who was sending officers into the mountains to fight delinquents. He had the guts to confront them,’ she said of Manzo.

Saturday was the biggest protest against Sheinbaum to date. She has responded to demonstrations throughout the week by accusing right-wing groups of being behind the escalating shows of discontent.

The protest against Sheinbaum and her Morena party, which Manzo splintered off from in 2024, resembled other Gen Z-led movements like the ones in Nepal and Madagascar, countries where the governments were toppled.

Pictured: Young and old people took to the streets to voice their frustration over the November 1 assassination of Carlos Manzo, the mayor of a crime-ridden town in western Mexico. He was known for standing up to the cartels

Pictured: A line of riot police protect the National Palace as protestors gradually move closer

Clashes with police officers lasted hours and led to injuries on both sides. Over a dozen people were arrested and will face criminal charges

Sheinbaum was not at the National Palace at the time of the protests. Instead, she was nearly 600 miles away in Campeche, a state in southeast Mexico. She has condemned the violence

Sheinbaum still enjoys a high approval rating, but there is a sizable portion of the electorate that is beginning to feel like she’s more of the same.

Giovanna Agundez, a 32-year-old woman who was at the protest, told Bloomberg that ‘this is exactly what happened with previous governments’.

‘Don’t they always claim to be different? Doesn’t Sheinbaum keep saying that all women, not only her, achieved power? Right now, I feel powerless,’ she added.

Sheinbaum was not at the National Palace at the time of the protests. Instead, she was nearly 600 miles away in Campeche, a state in southeast Mexico.

‘Thank you for your love, beautiful people of Palizada, Campeche. When there’s a government at the people’s service, there is nothing that can stop our nation,’ she wrote on X alongside pictures of her hugging supporters.

Sheinbaum has since condemned the violence in the capital.