In response to escalating social unrest, authorities in Mexico are ramping up police and security measures around the Zocalo plaza in Mexico City. This decision aims to ensure that the World Cup Fan Fest can proceed without incident.
The historic core of the city, which includes landmarks such as the Catedral Metropolitana and the Aztec site Templo Mayor, remains under strict lockdown. Nevertheless, President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration insists that Zocalo will be accessible throughout the tournament.
Local sources indicate that as many as 100,000 fans are anticipated to attend the official FIFA Fan Fest during Mexico’s first match against South Africa at the Azteca Stadium next Thursday. This situation raises significant security concerns amidst ongoing protests throughout the city.
Various groups, including teachers, judges, animal rights advocates, and families of the 130,000 missing individuals, have organized demonstrations in the capital this week. On Friday, teachers from the CNTE union caused major traffic disruptions while demanding improved working conditions. Other activists have taken over government buildings and even staged a football game on a barricaded street.
Earlier this week, riot police deployed tear gas against a group of protesting teachers who breached barriers set up around Zocalo as the Fan Fest site was being prepared. The teachers’ unions have demanded the event be cancelled, with Pedro Hernandez Morales of CNTE asserting to Al Jazeera that “the ball will not roll” unless their demands are addressed. However, the government remains steadfast in its position.
Sheinbaum’s administration faces criticism from activist factions for allegedly prioritizing the World Cup over pressing social issues, including a cost-of-living crisis exacerbated by an influx of foreign tourists. Protests are likely to persist throughout the duration of the World Cup.
In a show of support, Sheinbaum plans to attend the opening match at the Zocalo Fan Fest herself, having given her ticket for the game to Yolett Cervantes Cuaquehua, a 21-year-old Indigenous woman from Veracruz.
