More than 100 people were injured and 20 arrested during a massive protest on Saturday in Mexico City against the president’s handling of violent crime, local government officials said.

Thousands marched on the capital’s historic main public square, the Zocalo, in a demonstration fueled by young Mexicans with ties to a global wave of Generation Z protests as well as supporters of the domestic “Sombrero Movement,” which emerged after the recent assassination of a mayor known for his fight against organised crime.

AFP observed participants of all ages taking part in the rally in front of the National Palace, where President Claudia Sheinbaum lives and works.

Several protesters, some wearing balaclavas, toppled the metal barriers protecting the palace and threw paving stones at riot police, who responded with tear gas, according to AFP journalists.

“For many hours, this mobilisation proceeded and developed peacefully, until a group of hooded individuals began to commit acts of violence,” Pablo Vazquez, Mexico City’s security chief, told reporters.

Twenty protesters and 100 police were injured, with 40 officers hospitalised for cuts and bruises, he added.

Police arrested 20 people for theft and assault, Vazquez said, and had also launched an investigation into the assault of a journalist from La Jornada newspaper, who alleged that police officers were behind the incident.

Inspired by murdered mayor

Sheinbaum, in power since October 2024, maintained approval ratings above 70 per cent in her first year in office but faced growing criticism of her security policies in the wake of several high-profile murders.

“This is one of the most corrupt governments we’ve ever had,” said Valentina Ramirez, a student interviewed by AFP. “It’s a corrupt narco-government that wants to defend the corrupt and the cartels instead of the people.”

On Saturday, several protesters wore sombreros similar to the style of hat made famous by Carlos Manzo, a mayor in western Michoacan state who was assassinated on November 1. He had been known for his crusade against drug-trafficking gangs in his hometown Uruapan.

The assassinated mayor’s widow, however, distanced her husband’s movement from the demonstration on Saturday.

Bernardo Bravo, a leader of lime producers in the same region, had also been shot dead in late October.

Earlier this week, Sheinbaum questioned the motivations for the demonstration and said at her regular morning news conference that the protest was “inorganic” and “paid for”.

“It is a movement promoted from abroad against the government,” she said.

Demonstrators displayed banners bearing messages such as “We are all Carlos Manzo” alongside the iconic pirate flag from the Japanese manga One Piece, which has become a symbol of youth protest around the world, from Madagascar to the Philippines and Peru.

“You should have protected Carlos Manzo like this!” some protesters shouted at security forces, who responded with fire extinguishers and tear gas.