The call from the self-proclaimed ‘Generation Z’ movement to participate today in the so-called National March of Silence for Peace failed to draw a significant crowd.
On Paseo de la Reforma, there were approximately 250 people, according to Mexico City police.
The participants departed from the Angel of Independence after 11:00 a.m., heading towards the Palace of Fine Arts. Iván Rejón, spokesperson for the organization, stated that they would not reach the Zócalo, as the Historic Center had been under lockdown since yesterday by Mexico City authorities.
He reiterated that among the movement’s demands are the establishment of a dialogue with the federal government and an end to the disappearances of people in the country.
During the silent march, the protesters carried Mexican flags and even a banner with the image of the Virgin Mary. They also displayed signs with slogans against the federal government.
“What people are demanding is the ability to be represented and to raise their voices. The government has closed spaces; we understand the argument of protection, but it is failing to listen to those it least considers,” added Iván Rejón.
Passing the Senate building, the silence of the protest was broken for a few minutes when the demonstrators, mostly older adults, began to shout, “Out with Morena, out with Morena!”
Along the way, a few people watched from the sidewalks, taking photos and videos with their cell phones, but they did not join the march.
The members of the self-proclaimed Generation Z movement arrived at the Angel of Independence at the corner of Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas and Avenida 5 de Mayo, where they continued their protest. This main thoroughfare was already closed before they arrived.
However, the decision not to continue to the Zócalo, the main square of Mexico City, due to the installation of a Christmas market, created a division with people of other generations, especially older adults who had accompanied them along the way, who insisted on continuing.
Some young people, their faces covered and dressed in black, even asked people to march to the city’s main square.
At the intersection with Avenida Juárez, the protesters stopped, and Iván Rejón spoke again.
He reiterated that the issues “that pain Mexico” are the crisis of disappearances. “We’re talking about a cancer that has been going on for more than 21 years… we are all tired of it, young people, adults, and children alike. We are all victims of the violence in Mexico, and even though things have changed and there has been a transformation, everything remains practically the same. It is very important for us to exercise civic responsibility.”
He indicated that although the march didn’t draw as many people as the one on November 15th, “on social media, we are more than 3,000 on Facebook, and in Mexico, we are 130 million people who are tired of knowing that we could suffer violence at any moment.”
“We are against the government celebrating that there is a transformation; we are not against any political party directly. We are against the inefficiency, the lack of response from the authorities to provide a decisive solution to the crisis that exists and that we continue to experience. That is why we must raise our voices and represent all those who are missing,” he added.
At this time, around 50 people continue to demonstrate on Eje Central Avenue, next to the Palace of Fine Arts.
Source: jornada
