Protesters threw Molotov cocktails and clashed with riot police outside Mexico City’s National Palace on Thursday (November 20) as thousands protested against President Enrique Pena Nieto’s handling of the apparent massacre of 43 trainee school teachers.
Hundreds of police in riot gear blocked access to the palace in the capital’s main square, the Zocalo, where thousands of protesters had gathered in support of the students, apparently murdered after their abduction by corrupt police on September 26.
Three marches had been peaceful until they reached the Zocalo, when the protesters incinerated an effigy of Pena Nieto. Protesters managed to burn down the door of theNational Palace during a November 9 march.
A smaller group of protesters then swarmed the entrance of the palace before police charged as they cleared the square.
Around 300 masked demonstrators had earlier sparred with police near Mexico City’s airport, throwing Molotov cocktails and fireworks. No one was hurt in those clashes, police said.
Mexico has been convulsed by protests since the 43 students were taken from the southwestern city of Iguala by police working with a local drug gang and then very likely incinerated, according to the government, which is still investigating the incident.
The marches took place on the 114th anniversary of the beginning of the Mexican Revolution to overthrow dictator Porfirio Diaz in 1910. The protesters included relatives of the students. Many carried banners with slogans attacking the government such as “the state did it.”
The government has been plunged into crisis by the violence in Iguala, where six people, including three other trainee teachers, also died on September 26.
The disappearances of the students have been the toughest challenge yet to face Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, who took office two years ago vowing to restore order inMexico, where about 100,000 people have died in violence linked to organised crime since 2007.
Reuters wires
