Police Arrest Activists Who Exposed Park Privatization in PAN-Controlled Miguel Hidalgo
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The residents have been organizing against the privatization of the park by PANista Mauricio Tabe, who signed an agreement to close the park for four months for a private Alice in Wonderland show.

This article by Sugeyry Romina Gándara originally appeared in the March 18, 2026 edition of Sin Embargo.

Mexico City. At least three activists from the neighborhood collective of Tacubaya, Observatorio and San Miguel Chapultepec —who denounced the holding of a private show that restricted access, that is, the privatization of Parque Lira— were arrested Wednesday morning by police, while they were peacefully demonstrating in front of the Miguel Hidalgo Mayor’s Office to protest the neglect of the park.

The activists Violeta Horcasitas, Yashodara Solano, and Jorge González were standing in front of the mayor’s office after collecting trash in the park, as they do every Wednesday as part of the activities and protests organized by residents to demand better care for this space in Tacubaya. It is the most frequented green space in the area, but also one with great historical significance: it was there, in the 19th century, that the Plan of Tacubaya was proclaimed, an event that sparked the Reform War and gave rise to the so-called Martyrs of Tacubaya. It is not just a park, but a site linked to a decisive episode in national history, yet today it is neglected, according to residents.

Police officers assaulted an elderly woman during the crackdown. Photo: Romina Gándara, SinEmbargo

Six residents were holding a peaceful demonstration, picking up and carrying away trash as a form of protest against the neglect and filth of Parque Lira. While they waited for access to the areas that had been removed or restricted to be reopened, around 20 police officers arrived and arrested three of the six activists present.

The residents carried signs pointing out the neglect of Parque Lira by the Miguel Hidalgo Mayor’s Office.

According to the residents themselves, as reported to SinEmbargo, they were participating in a peaceful protest to collect trash in Parque Lira. After gathering the garbage—which, they noted, remains scattered throughout the park—they positioned themselves in front of City Hall. Barely seconds had passed when approximately 20 police officers arrived to intimidate the protesters, among them two elderly women. The three activists were arrested by police and taken to the civil court. Two of the detained activists are Violeta and Yoshidara, who had previously exposed the PAN-led City Hall administration for privatizing the park in a report published by SinEmbargo.

“They arrived with excessive violence. They injured the wrists of a colleague, a friend and neighbor. They brought us here to the civil court. We are waiting for the judge to receive us so we can explain the demonstration we were trying to hold and the reasons for it,” Horcasitas told SinEmbargo in a brief WhatsApp message.

Following the arrest, other members of the group informed the media and activated a support and denunciation network, which allowed human rights personnel to travel to the civic court at this time.

“Our action is part of the protests against the state of the park, which remains neglected and restricted, affecting those of us who use and live there daily. We reject the criminalization of peaceful protest and demand respect for our rights to expression, assembly, and access to public spaces. We call on the authorities to guarantee dignified and safe treatment for those of us who participate in non-violent demonstrations and to address the park’s actual condition,” the neighborhood group emphasized.

The Fight Against Parque Lira’s Privatization

It’s worth noting that Violeta Horcasitas and Yashodara Solano are part of a group of residents from neighborhoods surrounding Parque Lira, in the Miguel Hidalgo borough, who began organizing in late January and early February to denounce the fact that the immersive Alice in Wonderland show, produced by Let’s Go and Fever, restricted access to approximately 80 percent of the green areas. In other words, a large part of the park was being privatized for at least four months, the period during which the event was to take place. The PAN-led borough government of Mauricio Tabe had signed an agreement with the production companies for the event. Furthermore, they stated that the event jeopardized the green spaces.

The complaints and actions of the residents managed to stop the mayor’s office, because on February 24 the Environmental and Territorial Planning Attorney’s Office of Mexico City ( PAOT ) imposed suspension of activities seals in Parque Lira, where various adaptations to the space were being carried out related to the light show Alice in Wonderland, allowed by the PAN government of Mauricio Tabe in the Miguel Hidalgo Mayor’s Office.

Residents of the San Miguel Chapultepec neighborhood demanded that the Miguel Hidalgo borough authorities clarify the closure and partial fencing off of Parque Lira in February. Photo: Rogelio Morales /Cuartoscuro

The actions taken by Mexico City authorities were in response to five citizen complaints regarding potential damage to green areas and cultural heritage. On Friday, February 20, PAOT (Environmental and Territorial Planning Attorney’s Office) personnel visited the site to conduct an on-site investigation, but after failing to locate the representative of the organizing company, a summons was issued. Subsequently, they returned to the park, and the organizing company, Beste Templen, failed to present the necessary permits or documentation for the event.

Mayor of Miguel Hidalgo Defends Company

In response to the suspension, Mayor Mauricio Tabe insisted that the company behind “Alice in Wonderland” had complied with all the necessary procedures with the city government. Even so, he stated that city authorities demanded requirements that, he asserted, were not applicable.

“Approval from heritage sites is not required because the listed elements are not being altered. There has already been an environmental inspection and an inspection by the INAH (National Institute of Anthropology and History), which confirmed that green areas, animals, and historical monuments will not be affected,” he said in a video published on February 24.

Following the event’s closure, residents have remained attentive to the process, while reiterating their demands for the protection of public space, transparency, and environmental compliance; they have also continued protests to demand greater attention to the park.

Sugeyry Romina Gándara started as a radio announcer, then became a reporter and photojournalist in Chihuahua, covering crime and security issues. Since 2016, she has lived in Mexico City, where she has focused on covering security issues and victims of violence, and currently co-hosts the news program A Las Dos with Blanca Juárez on SinEmbargo al Aire*.*

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