The Government of Mexico City opens an investigation into the incidents in the March 8

The demonstration for International Women's Day in Mexico City left several postcards worthy of a pitched battle.

While thousands of women protested for equality and against gender violence, feminist groups clashed with police in different parts of the capital.

The central scene of the disturbances was the fence that surrounded the National Palace, seat of the presidency.

With flamethrowers and sticks in their hands, a group of women managed to knock down part of the metal fence.

Dozens of agents waiting on the other side responded with tear gas to disperse the protesters.

The incidents left a total of 81 injured and four arrested, authorities reported.

Claudia Sheinbaum, head of the city government, has denied this Tuesday that it has been repressed with the use of gases - "they were fire extinguishers" - and has reported the dismissal of the chief of the Banking and Industrial Police after the attack by that police force four journalists.

The capital's Zócalo became the scene of a violent skirmish on Monday afternoon.

In a year in which gender violence has not stopped increasing and femicides are counted by the dozen every day, the March 8 march seemed to have more reasons than ever.

Thousands of women staged the most violent demonstration since the arrival of Andrés Manuel López Obrador to power.

Not all participated in the incidents.

Only one group of them threw firecrackers and bottles at the officers behind the fences.

It was also the mobilization that saw the greatest response from the security forces.

The police officers responded by returning the bottles and throwing gases.

First they used fire extinguishers, then for two hours in a row they threw cartridges with a white gas on the crowd that generated intense burning in the nose, eyes and mouth.

Despite the violence of some protesters, the city government was questioned for breaking security protocols, since the use of tear gas was not allowed.

"Within the protocol it was not authorized, that will have to be investigated,"

the city's government secretary, José Alfonso Suárez del Real

, told

.

Sheinbaum, however, categorically denied that they were used.

"Pepper spray is not used," "I don't see the evidence" and "all the policemen were unarmed," he repeated this Tuesday at a press conference.

An ominous image circulated this Tuesday morning at the press conferences of the Mexican authorities.

It shows a hooded woman pouring gasoline and setting fire to a block of police shields behind which dozens of agents were hiding.

“It is sad and ashamed.

Because people do not agree with this, they cannot agree ”, said the president when showing the photograph this Tuesday.

“I don't think violence against policewomen is justifiable.

Isn't that gender-based violence? ”Sheinbaum added.

Both criticized the ferocity with which some groups demonstrated.

But the sharp condemnation of what happened managed to put in the background the legitimate claims of thousands of women, many of them directed at the president himself, such as the increase in femicides or support for the candidacy of Félix Salgado Macedonio, accused of rape and sexual abuse.

Among the incidents on Monday there was also a police attack on a group of women in a subway station, in which there were four journalists.

Sashenka Gutiérrez, from the

Graciela López, from

Gabriela Esquivel, from the

;

and Leslie Pérez, from

denounced that members of the Banking and Industrial Police detained them at the station and beat them.

“They would not let us go out, they closed the access to the subway and they kicked us again, they pulled [pulled] our hair and they ignored that we were the press.

They wanted to take the cameras away from us, ”Gutiérrez said.

In response, Sheibaum reported on Tuesday the dismissal of the head of that police force, in addition to that of the agents who participated.

"Police abuse cannot be allowed and less against journalists," he said.

The head of Government also confirmed the arrest of four men after the riots.

Two of them correspond to the custody of the human rights lawyer Ana Katiria Suárez.

According to Sheinbaum, the armed escorts accompanied the lawyer to the march and stole two shields from police officers.

"I respect her work very much, but I don't think it's right to walk with bodyguards with 9mm pistols," he said.

Due to his work, Suárez is under the federal mechanism for the protection and protection of human rights defenders and his bodyguards belong to the Federal Police.

The incidents left a total of 81 people injured, 62 were police officers and 19 were protesters.

Most suffered minor injuries, only nine officers and one citizen were treated in medical centers.

Marcela Figueroa, undersecretary of Internal Development of the capital police, reported that they visited the police officers who received medical assistance on Tuesday at the hospital.

“The injuries range from hand and arm contusions;

elbow and shoulder;

hip and ankle;

thoracic and clavicle fracture ”, published Figueroa on his Twitter account.

"Fortunately, none required to remain hospitalized and all will continue medical treatment at home."

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