Women marching on International Women’s Day have clashed with police at barricades surrounding Mexico City’s National Palace, where officers fired pepper spray after protesters tried to tear down a metal wall.
Sixty-two officers and 19 civilians were injured, said Marcela Figueroa, a city police officer. The Mexico City government “categorically denied” the use of any kind of gas against the protesters.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador installed the metal barricade – described as a “peace wall” of his spokesman, before the protests, saying he wanted to protect government property from vandalism.
But the wall proved to be a provocation for women, who accused the president, famous for traveling lightly around the corners of the country controlled by drug cartels, of fearing the feminist movement and giving in to worries. such as rampant sexual violence and the newspaper. toll of 10 femicides. At least 939 women were victims of feminicides last year in Mexico, according to official data.
“Where were you when I was raped,” one woman said he heard shouting to the police in the midst of the chaos.
López Obrador’s relationship has been strained with the feminist movement, which she has accused of being manipulated by conservative opponents and influenced by foreign ideas.
“We want him to protect us in the same way he protects these buildings,” said Vania Palacios, 19, who carried a sign that said, “Fight today so you don’t die tomorrow.”
Protesters wrote the names of femicide victims at the barricade after it was installed on Friday and later covered it with flowers. They also projected slogans at the National Palace, a seat of power since Aztec times, which read: “Femicide in Mexico” and “legal abortion now.”
Another slogan contained the accusation that “a rapist will not be governor,” a reference to Felix Salgado Macedonio, who is running for office in southern Guerrero state, with the support of Lopez Obrador. Salgado has denied sexual assault to five women and has not been charged against him.
The president, often known as Amlo, has faced criticism from women in his Morena party, who have called for his dismissal of the candidate.
For his part, Salgado was outraged on Monday when he tweeted his “admiration” for women and praised their struggle.
“This president has lied to us,” said Teresa Ramirez, a protester who put up posters of Amlo and Salgado with the slogan, “Not a vote for Morena.”
“We thought he would have answers, but he’s made fun of us, especially on women’s issues.”
The women have proven to be a thorn in Amlo’s side. He has identified himself as a leftist and marked his opponents as conservatives, but he has often preached morality and values and leaned conservatives on social issues.
It has reduced funding for daycares and shelters for women and promoted families as a solution to pandemic hardships, even when domestic violence erupted.
On Monday he falsely claimed that the women’s protests did not take place until he took office.
“We have a saying in Spanish: ‘when you’re calm, you look prettier.’ “Feminists have decided that we will not look better when we are silent because when we are silent no one sees us and no one listens to us.”
Many women had expressed their hopes for the Amlo administration, Ocampo said, and promoted women with feminist sympathies to key positions, along with the appointment of a gender balance booth. But it has not acted on issues such as abortion and its state-level allies (which includes a party founded by evangelicals) have preferred above all not to raise sensitive social issues.
“For many feminists, it looked like a government was coming that would take over their agenda,” said Bárbara González, a political analyst in Monterrey. “But Amlo has not only opposed the movement … he has always portrayed it as manipulated and without legitimacy.”
In her daily press conference on Tuesday, Amlo said, “These protests against the government under the banner of feminism … are, in fact, driven by conservatives whose interests and privileges are threatened.”
He also accused correspondents of The Guardian, New York Times and El País of being “representatives of companies that participated in the looting of Mexico.”
He offered no evidence to support his claims.