On Sunday, November 20, protestors along the Via RecreActiva bicycle route in Guadalajara denounced U.S. President-elect Donald Trump with startling Ku Klux Klan hoods, swastikas and banners.
”Stop Trump,” said one. “Our politics is death,”
declared another, with a cartoon of two men shaking hands, referencing the controversial summer meeting between then-candidate Trump and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.
“Mexicans with a high school or college education are very aware of ‘el Klan,’” said an observer, “and they know it’s aimed nowadays against immigrants.” She added that local newspapers are following accusations of white nationalism in Trump’s campaign and the KKK’s announcement of a North Carolina rally to celebrate his victory.
While images of Klan hoods and swastikas shock many Americans, who expect them to be displayed only by white supremacist advocates, in Mexico such symbolism may be used differently.
“Here in Mexico, demonstrators seem to use the symbolism of whatever we are against — to mock it,” said Amelie Guerra, who teaches history in Guadalajara. “Sometimes we see the objectionable symbol used as the center point in a rally.
“I lived in Cleveland in 1999 when there was a Ku Klux Klan march,” she added. “Of course, most people there didn’t like the Klan. But it was permitted for the sake of freedom of speech.”
She noted that her teenage students are very discouraged about Trump’s election. “They say, ‘Let’s enjoy our vacation in Disneyland this year, because maybe next year, we won’t be able to go.’”