Thousands in Mexico demand respect, reject Trump
MEXICO CITY — Thousands waving Mexican flags and signs denouncing President Donald Trump marched through central Mexico City on Sunday, the largest mobilization in the capital to date against the policies of the Trump administration.
“We are not against the American people: This is about Trump, who is spreading hate and division,” said Maria Garcia, a former resident of Chicago. “The United States and Mexico are natural friends and allies, but Trump is destroying this.”
Protesters hoisted signs declaring, “Respect, Mexico” and “We are all Mexico” as they marched down Paseo de la Reforma, the capital’s main street.
“Trump, pay for your own wall!” one sign said in English, a reference to the president’s plan to build a new barrier along the almost 2,000-mile frontier between the two nations.
The Mexican government has rebuffed Trump’s declarations that Mexico will pay for the wall.
Along with the wall, Trump’s plans to step up deportations, impose tariffs on products imported from Mexico and renegotiate trade deals have angered many in Mexico and raised fears of an economic collapse. The Mexican peso has been steadily declining in value against the U.S. dollar since Trump began rising in U.S. election polls late last year.
The march was one of two major anti-Trump mobilizations planned for Sunday. Some stayed away from the demonstrations, viewing them as too supportive of the administration of President Enrique Pena Nieto, who has low approval ratings among Mexicans concerned about corruption, violence and rising prices. On a mock wall, a protester expresses feelings about President Donald Trump during a rally in Mexico City on Sunday.