The Truth About the “Gen Z” March in Mexico
Mexico City’s “Gen Z” anti-government protest against President Claudia Sheinbaum bears all the hallmarks of an astroturf campaign.
Contradictions surrounding the “Gen Z” march in Mexico demonstrates the willing obtuseness of the international corporate press in falling for the ostensible story instead of the actual one. (Daniel Cardenas / Anadolu via Getty Images)
A youth march with the notable absence of youth. A march against violence that ended with deliberately provoked violence. A nonpartisan march with one of its key proponents in the pay of the nation’s conservative party. A march inspired by imagery from the hit left-wing comic One Piece descending into a maelstrom of far-right hate.
The contradictions surrounding Mexico’s so-called “Generation Z” march on November 15 — also known as the “15N protests and riots” — are abundant. Moreover, they provide an object lesson in the “franchise model” of international demonstration symbolism in which a domestic event is appropriated to suit the agenda of the franchisees. But most importantly, they demonstrate the willing obtuseness of the international corporate press in falling, again and again, for the ostensible story instead of the actual one.
The Hot Land
The event that sparked the march was certainly real enough. On November 1, Carlos Manzo, the outspoken mayor of the town of Uruapan, Michoacán, was gunned down at a public event in the midst of Day of the Dead festivities. After being subdued, the assassin, a seventeen-year-old from the nearby town of Paracho, was then killed in mysterious circumstances by security forces.
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