Tear gas, chaos, and straw hats: Gen Z protests erupt against drug violence in Mexico City — watch video

Thousands of people marched through the streets of Mexico City on Saturday to protest against drug violence and the security policies of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government. The demonstration was organised on social media by representatives of “Generation Z,” though AFP saw protesters of various ages.

Sheinbaum, in power since October 2024, maintained approval ratings above 70 per cent in her first year in office but faced criticism of her security policy due to several high-profile murders, mainly in the state of Michoacan. Banners with messages such as “We are all Carlos Manzo” were displayed alongside the pirate flag emblematic of the Japanese manga “One Piece,” which has become a symbol of global youth protest, AFP reported.


Protesters gathered in front of the National Palace in Mexico City, where Sheinbaum lives and works, and knocked down some of the metal fences protecting the building.

Police guarding the compound used tear gas grenades and fire extinguishers to contain the protesters, who were banging on the fences. “This is how you should have protected Carlos Manzo,” some of the protesters shouted at the security forces.


Hundreds of young people threw projectiles at the police, who responded by deploying their shields and also threw objects at the protesters.

Carlos Manzo was the mayor of Uruapan in Michoacan who was assassinated on November 1. He had led a crusade against drug-trafficking gangs in his town. Several of those attending the march, which wound its way through major avenues in the centre of the capital, wore hats resembling Manzo. The assassinated mayor’s widow, however, distanced her husband’s movement from the protests on Saturday.

Earlier this week, Sheinbaum questioned the motivations for the demonstration and said at her regular morning press conference that the protest call was “inorganic” and “paid for.” “It is a movement promoted from abroad against the government,” the President said.

LARGE Straw Hat Pirates’ Jolly Roger graffiti- what it means

LARGE Straw Hat Pirates’ Jolly Roger, which was seen in protests from Indonesia to Nepal, was also spotted. In the video, graffiti appears outside Mexico City’s National Palace.

The flag comes from the wildly popular 1997 Japanese manga One Piece by Eciichiro Oda, One Piece, which has become a global symbol for youth-led protest movements, particularly in countries like Indonesia, Nepal, and the Philippines, as seen in large protests during 2025.


Protesters use the flag, which depicts a skull wearing a straw hat with a crossbones, to symbolize resistance against corruption, government overreach,

In Asia, the flag gained popularity as a tool of political expression and defiance during protests in Indonesia, the Philippines and Nepal, and has also popped up on the streets of Paris.