Vile antisemitic graffiti was splashed across Mexico’s Presidential Palace as massive Gen Z–led protests spiraled into violence over the weekend.
The unrest erupted just days after the Nov. 5 assassination of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo, who was gunned down during a Day of the Dead event after pushing an aggressive campaign against the cartels. Viral video shows thousands of demonstrators converging Saturday on Mexico City, with some attempting to breach barricades outside the palace.
President Claudia Sheinbaum, who is Jewish, wasn’t spared from the chaos: the words “puta judía” (“Jewish whore”) were spray-painted across the doors of the National Palace, alongside a crossed-out Star of David.
In a statement, the Central Committee of the Jewish Community of Mexico condemned the vandalism, stressing that antisemitism is prohibited under the constitution and “must be rejected clearly and unequivocally.”
Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, also denounced the vandalism.
“Israel strongly condemns the antisemitic and sexist insults directed at the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo,” he wrote on X. “There is no place for that kind of attack in political discourse. All forms of antisemitism, in any context, must be unequivocally rejected.”
Sheinbaum, elected last year, has never emphasized her Jewish identity publicly and is not a regular participant in the country’s tight-knit Jewish community. Still, her background has long been exploited by detractors. Former President Vicente Fox once referred to her as a “Bulgarian Jew” in what was widely seen as an attempt to delegitimize her candidacy, prompting Sheinbaum to publish her birth certificate multiple times to dispel the rumors.
Prior to the protests, a group calling itself “Gen Z Mexico” posted a manifesto online insisting it has no party ties and speaks for young people fed up with violence, corruption, and unchecked power. According to Mexico City’s Secretary of State Pablo Vásquez, about 120 people were injured — 100 of them police officers — as rioters hurled rocks, chains, fireworks, and other makeshift weapons at security forces. Police responded with tear gas and stun grenades, and dozens were arrested.
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