In response to escalating social unrest and mounting public demonstrations, Mexico is ramping up police and security forces around the Zocalo plaza in Mexico City to facilitate the upcoming World Cup Fan Fest.
The president’s administration, led by Claudia Sheinbaum, insists that the Zocalo will remain accessible during the tournament, despite much of the historic center—including the iconic Catedral Metropolitana and the ancient Templo Mayor—being under lockdown.
With local estimates suggesting an attendance of up to 100,000 at the official FIFA Fan Fest when Mexico faces off against South Africa at the Azteca Stadium next Thursday, security concerns are heightened given the ongoing protests permeating the city.
Various groups, including teachers, judges, animal rights activists, and families of the approximately 130,000 missing individuals in Mexico, have taken to the streets to voice their grievances this week.
On Friday, teachers affiliated with the CNTE union halted traffic in their demand for improved working conditions, while others breached government buildings and even organized a football match on a street that had been blockaded.
Earlier this week, riot police responded with tear gas against a group of protesting teachers who broke through metal barricades surrounding the Zocalo as preparations for the Fan Fest were underway.
Teachers’ unions are calling for the suspension of the Fan Fest, with Pedro Hernandez Morales from CNTE declaring to Al Jazeera,
“The ball will not roll” unless their demands are addressed.
Despite this, the government remains firm in its position. Activist groups have criticized Sheinbaum’s administration for prioritizing the World Cup over urgent social issues, particularly a cost-of-living crisis exacerbated by rising foreign tourism. Protests are anticipated to persist throughout the World Cup.
In a show of solidarity, Sheinbaum plans to attend the opening match at the Zocalo Fan Fest, having opted to give her ticket for the game to Yolett Cervantes Cuaquehua, a 21-year-old Indigenous woman from Veracruz.
