It’s taken some time but the first major nationwide demonstrations organized solely by Mexicans against the Trump administration are set to hit the streets of Mexico this weekend.
Organized by NGOs and universities, “Vibra México” will call for Trump to show “respect” for Mexico and urge a vigorous and transparent response to his policies from this country’s leaders.
In addition to Guadalajara, marches will be held in Mexico City, Monterrey, Puebla, Morelia, Villahermosa, Hermosillo, Colima, Leon, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Culiacan and Merida, as well as in three European cities: Berlin, London and Madrid.
In addition to some 80 NGOs, universities participating in the march include the Universidad de Guadalajara, Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara and the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), the nation’s largest public higher education institution.
The involvement of UNAM and its rector, Enrique Graue, is significant. This will be the first time a rector from Mexico’s most prestigious university has taken part in a public protest since the student movement of 1968.
Graue insists that the protest is not anti-American but directed at Trump’s policies, which he says are not just a threat to Mexico but the entire world.
Although Trump’s insistence that Mexico will pay for a border wall has been denounced widely in newspapers and on social media, the outcry has not translated into massive public protest. A reason for this, many analysts believe, is that Mexicans have preferred to reserve their wrath for President Enrique Peña Nieto’s hefty gasoline price hikes, which threaten to send inflation spiraling.
With his popularity at an all-time low, Peña Nieto may see some political gain to be had from a stand-off with Trump over his protectionist policies. But while it would be suicidal for him to agree to cough up any money for the wall, he may not be quite so inflexible when it comes to renegotiating Nafta – something Trump insists must be done quickly. And Foreign Minster Luis Videgaray and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met this week for talks, suggesting that a fast-track renegotiation of the trade deal is in the cards.
In light of this possibility, Graue and others are insisting that Mexico’s negotiations with Trump must not be carried out behind closed doors and then presented to citizens as an ultimatum. The call for clarity and transparency in the bilateral discussions will be an important feature of this weekend’s rally.
The Vibra Mexico march in Guadalajara begins Sunday, February 12, 10 a.m. at the Minerva Glorieta, before proceeding down Avenida Hidalgo to the Plaza de la Liberacion in the city center. The Mexican national anthem will be sung at 1 p.m.