Students and academic and administrative staff from the University of Guadalajara (UdeG) gathered at five points in the metropolitan area Wednesday to march to the city center in protest at perceived budget cuts approved by the State Congress a day earlier.
University authorities said nearly 150,000 people participated in the demonstration, although public security officials estimated the figure as much lower.
On a stage set up in front of the Degollado Theater, UdeG Rector Ricardo Villanueva demanded the resignation of Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro, urging participants to take selfies and make the hashtag #FueraAlfaro become a trend on social networks.
Villanueva also proposed a public referendum to revoke the Governor’s mandate, although he admitted it would have no legal validity.
In its 2023 budget, state legislators authorized just under 14 billion pesos for the UdeG, which had requested more than 15 billion. Villanueva said that given the larger intake next year, in real terms the amount is equivalent to 20,000 pesos a year per student, whereas in 2022 the UdeG received 29,000 pesos. The rector has stated that the lack of resources puts in peril expanded enrollment and the new campuses planned to open over the next few years, including one in Chapala.
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