Clashes erupted in Mexico City on Thursday during the annual march commemorating the 1968 student massacre in Tlatelolco, as thousands took to the streets with Palestinian flags and banners denouncing Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
The demonstration, which traditionally serves to remember the victims of the massacre and draw attention to wider abuses of authority in Mexico, also reflected growing concerns over violence in schools following the recent killing of a student at a feeder school of the National Autonomous University.
Students demanded stronger security measures across universities and high schools, after classes were suspended or moved online in more than half of the university’s departments this week due to threats. Authorities revealed that the suspect in last week’s killing had links to the so-called “incel” ideology, an online movement whose members often express violent resentment against women.
While most of Thursday’s march remained peaceful, groups of masked protesters vandalised storefronts, threw Molotov cocktails and clashed with police outside the National Palace. Mexico City officials estimated that 10,000 people joined the march, with around 350 acting aggressively. Several journalists were attacked during the unrest, some by protesters and others by police, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, which said it was documenting the incidents.
