Thousands of women protested Monday, March 8 in central Mexico against gender-based violence, as part of International Women's Day.
Before the procession set off from the Plaza de la República to the seat of national government in the Zócalo, hooded demonstrators kicked the wooden fences around the Monument to the Revolution.
They also posted photos with the names and surnames of suspected rapists, murderers and stalkers.
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"Together, we are the fire, let's burn everything,"
threatened a banner.
“My daughter was raped.
I am grateful that she is alive, ”
says Leticia Resendiz, a 45-year-old civil servant.
“There is still so much discrimination and harassment at work,” she
laments.
Near her, a 12-year-old girl carried a sign on which could be read:
“I was not killed but I live in fear”
.
Monday's day of protest followed protests that took place last weekend outside the presidential palace where dozens of women hung the names of femicide victims on barriers erected by authorities to protect the building.
The demonstrators also protested Monday against the support of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador for the candidacy for governor of the state of Guerrero (south) of Felix Salgado Macedonio, a politician accused of rape.
"It is scandalous that they accepted his candidacy," said
Nadia Tellez, a 20-year-old protester.
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Earlier, President Lopez Obrador said his government would not clamp down on protests.
"We are different from the conservatives who now disguise themselves as feminists,"
he said, highlighting the efforts made by his government in favor of women.
“Half of the members of my government are women,”
he said.
Mexico is one of the countries most affected by violence against women.
In 2020, there were 967 victims of femicide, an official figure slightly lower than the 969 in 2019.
