With white flags, from the anime One piece and from Mexico with the face of Carlos Manzo instead of the shield, the demonstration of generation Z started from the Angel of Independence. White clothes and hats abounded, imitating the wardrobe of the mayor of Uruapan, Carlos Manzo. The majority of participants are people over the age of 30 and young people are the minority. Among the most repeated slogans stand out the insults to the president, the statement “we are not artificial intelligence” and the requests “Morena get out”.
Saturday’s demonstration, the first major protest against the Sheinbaum government, was fraught with controversy. During the week, the government denounced the exploitation and capture by the opposition of an alleged spontaneous appeal of the younger generations, a movement that in the last month has overthrown governments in countries as diverse as Nepal, Peru and Madagascar. Sheinbaum presented a detailed report aimed at a “comprehensive digital strategy”. The relationship is put behind us influencersopposition figures and reports linked to Atlas Network, an ultra organization present in several countries.
Fernanda, 29, explains that “I’m here because I love Mexico. I’m tired of so much violence, so much insecurity in our streets.” The young woman criticizes the Infodemia report she presented to the Government. “Claudia is afraid. We are not few as they said, we are not even robots. We are real people, tired people, students, workers and people who want a better Mexico.” For her, President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador is an example of an international leader. He considers himself non-partisan, against the Sheinbaum government, but in favor of the future candidacy of Ricardo Salinas Pliego: “He has different ideas because I know he is a businessman who doesn’t understand politics, but if he arrived he would have all my support”.
The entrepreneur was the first to amplify the messages of Generation Z mobilizations around the world. In the midst of a dispute with the government, against the backdrop of multimillion-dollar tax debts, he publicly supported the march and the government emphasizes that the tycoon is participating in the attrition campaign, with an estimated expenditure of 90 million pesos.
The march called this Saturday under the name Generation Z Mexico has emerged as a networked movement, driven by AI messages, anime references and anti-government slogans, which in a few weeks has become a national mobilization. The assassination of the mayor of Uruapan, Carlos Manzo, accelerated the call, which presents itself as a youth protest on a national scale and with a presence in cities in the United States, Germany and Canada.
On social networks, where the appeal was born, there are many videos generated with artificial intelligence that encourage frequenting publications by teenagers who denounce political manipulation. Among the promoters are influencers such as Temach, Chumel Torres and Arturo Herrera, as well as opposition portals and figures. The movement is aimed at young people aged 15 to 20 who have not experienced demonstrations like #YoSoy132 and shares advice for those marching for the first time. At the same time, the official discourse clashed with the call. Infodemia filed a report attributing the call to bots, with organizations like Atlas Network intervening. The president claims that the origin of the movement is “not authentic” and that economic and media actors promoted the protest from abroad.
The petition from Generation Z Mexico includes the revocation of the mandate, judicial reforms and requests for transparency, even if messages of safety, boredom and corruption prevail on the networks. The figure of Carlos Manzo was used as a banner despite his family distancing themselves from the protest. The investigation traces the origin of the phone call to the beginning of October, with a report from Azteca Noticias, of the television station Salinas Pliego, followed by publications by influencers and the coordinated creation of accounts on various social networks. Between October 16 and November 1, the tone shifted from a “peaceful” protest to AI images showing the National Palace in flames. The mobilization comes this Saturday surrounded by cross accusations, uncertainty about its real ability to convene and the National Palace, the Angel of Independence and other monuments armored with metal fences before the first major protest against the Sheinbaum government.
