With Violent Acts, They Seek to 'Stage' an Image of Chaos in Mexico: Sheinbaum
mexicosolidarity.com
President Sheinbaum says recent violent acts during teacher protests aim to stage an image of chaos in Mexico, linking the strategy to Salinas Pliego.

This article by Arturo Sánchez and Alonso Urrutia originally appeared in the June 10, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

President Claudia Sheinbaum maintained that the violent acts recorded in the context of the teachers’ mobilizations no longer respond solely to legitimate demands, but to a strategy to project an image of chaos and instability in Mexico.

“Yes, there is a provocation (…) to show that there is chaos in Mexico,” the president stated at her daily press conference at the National Palace, where she stressed that the crisis scenario that some are trying to show “is staged” and does not correspond to the reality of the country. She also linked that situation to recent calls for radical actions made by businessman Ricardo Salinas Pliego.

In that context, the head of the Executive guaranteed that the World Cup inauguration will take place this Thursday and assured that her government will not fall for provocations. “It is guaranteed, no problem, the inauguration will take place and we will not fall for any provocation,” she stated, and added that today the logistical details will be announced so that fans and tourists can enter the capital’s Zócalo to witness the inaugural ceremony and the match between Mexico and South Africa.

SSC officers blocking Calzada de Tlalpan and División del Norte to prevent CNTE teachers from reaching Azteca Stadium, June 9, 2026.

Photo: Luis Castillo

When asked whether she would attend the Fan Fest set up in the Plaza de la Constitución to watch the match, she responded that she would first have to assess how the mobilizations develop. “Well, we will see how what is happening with the teachers and some other groups develops, because I have to be attentive to that, obviously,” she said. She also confirmed that Thursday’s morning press conference will be held at the National Palace.

Sheinbaum insisted that the CNTE’s demands have been addressed through negotiating tables, agreements with state governments, and measures to improve teachers’ working and retirement conditions. However, she charged that the most recent actions can no longer be explained solely by the demands put forward by the teachers. “That is why we say that they no longer have to do with the legitimate demands, but with an orientation,” she indicated.

“To hell with peaceful protest”

The president presented a video of an interview in which Salinas Pliego raised the possibility of resorting to “rough” protest actions. When asked whether he would call for those actions, the businessman answered: “Maybe. But maybe it’s necessary to make a physical presence and block the entrances. None of this ‘dressed-in-white peaceful demonstration’ stuff, to hell with it. They already did that; it’s useless. It has to be rougher.”

Sheinbaum criticized those declarations and stated that they constitute a call to violence: “It’s fine for him to disagree, but he cannot call for acts of violence.” On a possible relationship between those positions and the mobilizations developing in the center of Mexico City, she said she has no proof, although she reiterated that there is a coincidence between sectors of the far right and groups she referred to as “supposedly very radical.” “The extremes meet,” she mentioned.

Likewise, she rejected any possibility of repression in the face of the protests. “We are not going to repress,” she emphasized, recalling that there are demonstrations called for this June 10.

For his part, the Secretary of Public Education, Mario Delgado, called on the CNTE to reconsider the proposals formulated by the federal government and return to the classrooms to conclude the school year: “Yes, we want to make a call for teachers to value the proposals that have already been made.” He added that the strikes affect more than 1.4 million students and that as of the June 8 cutoff, 17,471 schools remained without activities, 8 percent of the country’s total.

The post With Violent Acts, They Seek to ‘Stage’ an Image of Chaos in Mexico: Sheinbaum appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.

From Mexico Solidarity Media via This RSS Feed.