MEXICO CITY (CN) - In her Monday press conference, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum discredited what is becoming known as the country's Generation Z movement, which resulted in massive protests over the weekend.
The movement has been gaining momentum since Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo was assassinated by a teenage cartel recruit on Nov. 1. Manzo was an outspoken critic of Sheinbaum's government and wasn't shy in expressing his hard-line stance on organized crime.
The protests reveal deep frustrations with Sheinbaum's administration, particularly its handling of crime and corruption.
Sheinbaum cast doubt on the legitimacy of the protests on Monday, suggesting they were not actually led by members of Gen Z, and also said that she called on the head of the Mexico City Attorney General's Office to investigate groups who caused violence during the demonstrations.
"On Saturday, we saw that the vast majority were not young people of Generation Z; there were some young people, but most were not young," said Sheinbaum.
Since last week, Sheinbaum has waged a campaign against the Gen Z movement and ensuing protests. During her Nov. 13 press conference, she introduced Miguel Angel Elorza Vasquez, the administration's so-called "lie detector."
Sheinbaum brought in Elorza Vasquez in October to give a weekly report during her morning press conferences on what he deems "fake news" on social media platforms.
"Do you think that they are going to weaken us, that they are going to weaken the president because of what they shout? No, it is stronger today. Do you think that those screams and swear words are going to do something to me?" Sheinbaum said regarding a social media campaign reported by Elorza Vasquez last week.
Elorza Vasquez, coordinator of Infomedia, a Mexican data and analytics company, said during a slide presentation Thursday that right-wing Mexican and foreign interests contributed a total of approximately $4.9 million to promote the marches in a coordinated social media effort.
The report stated that 179 TikTok accounts and 359 Facebook groups were activated between October and November, which included bots.
"The analysis shows that it is not a spontaneous youth mobilization, but a digital political operation financed, coordinated and amplified from Mexico and abroad," said Elorza Vasquez.
Among the Mexican public figures linked to promoting the marches mentioned in the report are former President Vicente Fox; anti-Morena party businessman Claudio X. Gonzalez; Mayor of Mexico City Cuauhtemoc borough Alessandra Rojo de la Vega and various current and former National Action Party politicians.
Sheinbaum has frequently targeted Mexican telecommunications mogul Ricardo Salinas Pliego, who has openly supported the marches despite not being part of Gen Z. She said it's better for Salinas to pay his taxes than to finance political marches.
Salinas is currently in a tax battle with Mexico's Supreme Court over $2.6 billion that his conglomerate owes.
Despite possible outside influences, thousands demonstrated in Mexico City and others in 30 states across the country with very real grievances.
In the first 13 months of Sheinbaum's presidency, 10 mayors have been murdered in Mexico.
On Saturday, 100 police officers and 20 demonstrators were injured, and 20 people were arrested for assault and vandalism.
Another Gen Z march is planned for Thursday.
Source: Courthouse News Service
