FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
At least 120 people, 100 of them police officers, have been injured in clashes during anti-government protests in Mexico City, police said.
Thousands of demonstrators marched in the Mexican capital on Saturday to protest violent crime and the government of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Sheinbaum said the marches, which also took place in other cities, were funded by right-wing politicians who oppose her government.
The rally was organized by Generation Z youth groups, which have received support from citizens protesting against high-profile killings, including the killing just a few weeks ago of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo, who had called for tough action against the cartels.
Demonstrators dismantled parts of a barrier protecting the National Palace, where Sheinbaum lives. Police protecting the complex fired tear gas at the crowds.
Authorities have arrested 20 people for crimes including robberies and assaults, Mexico's security chief, Pablo Vazquez, told reporters.
Protesters waved banners with messages like "We are all Carlos Manzo," while others wore cowboy hats in his honor.
Manzo was shot on November 1 while attending the Day of the Dead festival.
He spoke out against drug trafficking gangs in his city and the violence of the cartels. He had called for tough action against armed cartel members who terrorize the country.
Sheinbaum has taken action against the cartels but has resisted calls for another all-out war on drugs. Previous attempts by her predecessors have ended in bloody results.
A few days before the march took place, the president said the demonstration was being promoted by online bots.
"We agree with freedom of expression and freedom of demonstrations if there are young people who have demands, but the issue here is who is promoting the demonstration," she said at a press conference, adding that "people need to know how this demonstration was organized so that no one is taken advantage of."
Sheinbaum maintains approval ratings above 70% in her first year in office and has made progress in combating fentanyl trafficking, a key issue for her US counterpart, Donald Trump.
But it has been criticized for failing to stop the violence that has gripped the country and is facing growing hostility from neighboring countries.
Earlier this month, Peru's Congress voted to declare Sheinbaum persona non grata, or unwanted in the country.
The decision came days after Peru severed diplomatic relations with Mexico after the Mexican government granted asylum to a former Peruvian prime minister facing charges over a 2022 coup attempt.
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