Mexico City protesters attack police in violent anti-government march

Thousands of protesters descended on Mexico City on Saturday, attacking police officers and trying to break through the security barrier around the National Palace, which houses the executive branch of the federal government.

As their shields and communications radios were removed, clouds of tear gas filled the street as hooded protesters dragged riot police out of formation, beat them with hammers and chains, and threw explosives at them.

Mexico City Citizen Security Secretariat announced on social media that at least 60 police officers were slightly injured and 40 police officers were taken to hospitals.

Of the 40 officers hospitalized, 36 suffered contusions, cuts and minor injuries, and four are receiving specialized care for trauma and other non-life-threatening injuries.

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As of Saturday night, at least 20 people were detained and 20 people were referred for administrative offenses.

The anti-government march, which turned violent in Zocalo Square, was organized by members of Generation Z, born between the late 90s and early 2010s.

Protesters told Associated Press They were demonstrating against corruption and security concerns.

The Secretariat of Citizen Security stated that the Mexico City Police were only conducting containment work and did not suppress protesters or respond to provocations.

Protesters attack police during an anti-government youth march in Mexico City on Saturday, November 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Arizbeth Garcia, a 43-year-old doctor, said she is marching for more security and additional funding for the public health system.

“[Doctors] You are also exposed to the insecurity that pervades the country, where you can be killed and nothing happens,” Garcia said.

Another demonstrator, Rosa Maria Avila, 65, of Pátzcuaro in Michoacán, said she was marching in support of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo, an anti-crime activist who was assassinated at a public event in Michoacán earlier this month.

“The state is dying,” Avila said. “He was killed because he was a man who sent officers into the mountains to fight criminals. He had the courage to confront them.”

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Manzo was shot seven times after condemning Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum for allegedly not doing enough to fight the cartels.

“We need more commitment from the Mexican president,” Manzo told local media in September. “I don’t want to be just another mayor who is on the list of those who were executed and whose lives were taken away. … I’m very scared, but I have to face it with courage.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office as Mexico’s first female president in October 2024, has recently come under fire following a series of high-profile murders.

Demonstrators remove fences during a rally against the government of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum at Zocalo Square in Mexico City on November 15, 2025. (Alfredo Estrella/AFP via Getty Images)

Critics accuse him of tolerating organized crime and failing to support anti-cartel efforts.

In May, Sheinbaum publicly confirmed that President Donald Trump had rejected U.S. military aid seeking to help the country fight drug trafficking and violent cartels.

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He allegedly told Trump that the country would “never accept” the presence of the US Army on its soil.

Sheinbaum had previously said, “No, President Trump, our territory is inalienable, our sovereignty is inalienable.” “We can cooperate. We can work together, but with you in your territory and us in our territory. We can share information, but we will never accept the presence of the U.S. Army in our territory.”

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The Heritage Foundation, a top conservative group, claimed that despite the growing threat from the cartels, Mexico was unlikely to change its tune once Sheinbaum was elected.

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and the Associated Press contributed to this report.