March for 1968 Mexican student massacre eclipsed by support for Gaza

Mexico City officials estimation the march commemorating the 57th day of the massacre drew 10,000 people.

The yearly march to commemorate the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre of protesting students successful Mexico’s superior has been eclipsed by demands to bring an extremity to Israel’s astir two-year-long genocidal warfare successful Gaza.

Protesters marched connected Thursday from the Tlatelolco plaza – wherever 57 years ago, Mexican troops attacked students demanding an extremity to Mexico’s militarisation and greater freedoms, leaving a decease toll believed to beryllium successful the hundreds – to the capital’s cardinal plaza.

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But this year, the October 2 March was packed with Palestinian flags and signs demanding an extremity to Israel’s genocidal warfare connected Gaza. Israel has killed much than 66,000 Palestinians and injured astatine slightest 168,000 others since October 7, 2023.

The march comes aft Israel threatened Gaza City’s remaining residents to permission oregon look the “full force” of its crushed and aerial assault, with Defence Minister Israel Katz saying that anyone who stayed would beryllium considered “terrorists and panic supporters”.

The continuous bombardment of Gaza City has razed the territory’s largest municipality centre, sidesplitting dozens of radical daily, destroying galore residential buildings and schools, and forcing tens of thousands of Palestinians to fly to an chartless destiny to the south, often portion being attacked en route.

“We consciousness empathy not lone for ours, for those our grandparents died for, but for each men and women astir the satellite who are suffering what astatine 1 clip we suffered,” Edgar Lopez, a 23-year-old economics student, who marched with a Palestinian emblem connected his back, told The Associated Press quality agency.

While overmuch of the march was peaceful, immoderate groups vandalised storefronts and threw objects, including Molotov cocktails, astatine the hundreds of constabulary guarding the National Palace.

Demonstrators and riot constabulary look disconnected during a protestation commemorating the day of the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre, erstwhile soldiers fired connected pupil protesters, successful Mexico City, connected October 2, 2025 [Claudia Rosel/AP]

Mexico City officials estimated the march drew 10,000 people, and authorities said astir 350 were masked and acting aggressively.

Journalists with the AP saw astatine slightest 3 different journalists attacked by constabulary and protesters, and a constabulary serviceman cornered and attacked by protesters.

Local media reported astatine slightest six constabulary officers were injured, but authorities did not instantly corroborate that number.

Meanwhile, a smaller spontaneous protestation had breached retired successful the superior connected Wednesday nighttime aft Israel detained members of the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying a symbolic magnitude of humanitarian assistance arsenic they attempted to extremity the naval blockade Israel has imposed connected Gaza since 2009.

Among those detained were six Mexicans.

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said earlier connected Thursday that her medication had demanded their contiguous repatriation. Mexico is 1 of dozens of countries to person recognised the State of Palestine.