After Gen Z march in Mexico, government and critics spar as Trump cites ‘big problems’ south of border.

MEXICO CITY — A weekend protest march to highlight the concerns of Mexico’s Gen Zers dramatized deep political divisions that extend far beyond the needs of young Mexicans.

Saturday’s mostly peaceful demonstration in central Mexico City culminated in several hours of clashes, as small groups of protesters clashed with riot police deployed to protect the National Palace in Mexico City’s central square, or zócalo.

Following the protests, Mexico’s leftist President Claudia Sheinbaum accused her right-wing opponents of hijacking the demonstration to incite unrest and denigrate her government.

“Violence was used during the purportedly non-violent march,” Sheinbaum told reporters Monday.

But opposition leaders and other critics said the march reflected deep concerns about alleged cartel infiltration of the government and claimed police were brutalizing young protesters.

Among those who noticed the chaotic scenes in Mexico was President Trump, who again raised the specter of provocative U.S. attacks on cartel targets in Mexico when he spoke to the press in the Oval Office on Monday. The country is a major production area for fentanyl, amphetamines and other synthetic drugs destined for the U.S. market and a transportation corridor for South American cocaine.

“I looked at Mexico City over the weekend. There are some big problems there,” Trump said. “Let me put it this way: I’m not happy with Mexico.”

Asked whether the United States would consider attacking cartel targets in Mexico, Trump replied: “Would I start a strike in Mexico to stop the drugs? That’s fine with me. We have to do whatever we have to do to stop the drugs.”

Trump claimed Mexico was “run by cartels” even as he praised Sheinbaum as “a very brave woman.”

Sheinbaum denied that the cartels control Mexico. He has taken a cooperative stance with Trump on two contentious bilateral issues, drug smuggling and tariffs, but has said he will not give up Mexico’s sovereignty and accept U.S. attacks.

Saturday’s march, one of many similar protests held in Mexico that day, was first called to support Generation Z, following related demonstrations in Nepal and Morocco. Young people around the world complain about the lack of economic and educational opportunities.

But the rally in Mexico City mostly turned into a march against what many participants called Sheinbaum’s leftist “narco-government” and his ruling Morena party.

Many protesters held banners reading “I am Carlos Manzo” in memory of the mayor of the western city of Uruapan, who was assassinated this month in a shooting rampage that authorities blamed on organized crime.

Manzo accused the Sheinbaum government of turning a blind eye to criminals. Supporters of the so-called “White Hat” movement after the popular mayor’s signature felt hat – this month tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Uruapan and other cities in Michoacán state to demand a crackdown on organized crime. Supporters of the growing movement were also key participants in a march in Mexico City on Saturday.

After the march, Sheinbaum’s opponents accused his government of suppressing dissent

“They brutalized young people who just wanted a better Mexico,” Alejandro Moreno, head of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party, told X. “They beat them because they were afraid. They know that the power of an organized people is stronger than a cowardly narco-regime.”

Mexican authorities denied the allegations of brutality and said at least 60 police officers were injured.

A small minority of protesters, many wearing ski masks, threw rocks, bottles, fireworks and other improvised weapons at police. Police used both physical force and tear gas to push them back. Each side blamed the other for fueling the fights.

“They wanted to create this idea: ‘Chaos in Mexico!’” Sheinbaum accused, noting how images of the conflict received widespread attention in the press and social media at home and abroad.

The president called for an investigation into the violence, which he said was financed by his opponents. He promised that authorities would also investigate allegations of police brutality. The vast majority of protesters were non-violent, he said.

Officials said 17,000 marchers took part in Saturday’s demonstration. The opposition said that this number was much higher.

Opponents of Sheinbaum’s government have vowed additional protests. But many experts are skeptical that a deeply fractured opposition can do much to loosen Morena’s grip on power.

Sheinbaum’s predecessor and mentor, former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, faced much larger street demonstrations during his time in office, as well as allegations of ties to drug traffickers. But neither seemed to hurt his widespread popularity.

Polls show Sheinbaum, who just completed the first year of his six-year term, has an approval rating above 70%. With strong support from poor and working-class Mexicans who have benefited from minimum wage increases and welfare programs, Morena’s party maintains firm control of Congress, the courts and most government buildings in Mexico.

Although the president has announced a decrease in murders and other violent crimes, polls show that the top concern of most Mexicans remains security. Sheinbaum launched a crackdown on organized crime that led to the arrest of thousands of suspects; Among them, dozens were deported to face justice in US courts.

Special correspondent Cecilia Sánchez Vidal in Mexico City contributed.