“It’s clear they’re not leaving,” one reporter observed as crowds pressed forward. “They say they want the pact they believe exists between the narcos and the government to end today.”
Many young organizers described the government as a narcogobierno, accusing federal leaders of enabling cartels through inaction or corruption.
The Murder That Sparked a Movement
The outrage intensified after the November 1 assassination of Carlos Manzo, mayor of Uruapan, Michoacán. Manzo, known for confronting organized crime, had openly declared war on local traffickers.
“We’re going to shoot first and ask questions later,” he said in one fiery speech, vowing to use helicopters and armed police to dislodge cartel forces.
He was gunned down on the Day of the Dead, in front of a crowd in his own town. Protests erupted immediately and soon spread nationwide.
“They were asking for justice,” one activist said. “They wanted those responsible to be held accountable.”
Pressure Mounts on Claudia Sheinbaum
President Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office in October 2024 as Mexico’s first woman president, now faces rising criticism over cartel violence and a wave of high-profile murders.
