Mexico promises peaceful World Cup opening despite protests

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(Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)

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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday she could guarantee a peaceful World Cup opening ceremony this week, despite concern over ongoing protests.

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A teachers’ union has threatened demonstrations at Thursday’s opening game between Mexico and South Africa in the capital if the government doesn’t respond to demands for salary raises and pension reforms.

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“We are going to guarantee… that the celebration of the World Cup is well-executed, in peace and tranquillity,” Sheinbaum said in her daily press conference.

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On June 1, police dispersed protesters with teargas and rubber bullets outside the historic Zocalo square where authorities have erected a massive screen for a World Cup fan zone.

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The streets surrounding the square remain closed off with metal barricades, which Sheinbaum has said are meant to guard against “provocations.”

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Protesting teachers also toppled commemorative statues of players in downtown Mexico City last week.

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– Tourists ‘freaked out’ –

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The teachers’ sprawling tent camps have flooded the city center, leading to complaints from businesses that tourists will stay away during the World Cup.

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“The access to our restaurant is closed off, the people aren’t coming, the tourists are freaked out,” 31-year-old waiter Jonathan Herrera, who was protesting against the encampment, told AFP.

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Around 50 people waited to cross through one of the metal barricades under the watch of police, where one restaurant glued a poster reading “we’re still open.”

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US tourist Heather Lutz, 64, expressed support for the protesters.

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“No government likes their city to look real” during big events like the World Cup, she said.

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The tournament is the ideal moment to “generate pressure” to win concessions from the government, 42-year-old teacher Dinora Diaz told AFP in the street encampment.

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– Negotiations –

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Sheinbaum’s government explained on Monday their proposals to the teachers’ union, proposing the creation of a new state-owned company to administer pensions.

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But the government dismissed the possibility of reversing pension laws, arguing it would cost around $400 million.

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The teachers have rejected the government’s proposals while the Secretary of Governance Rosa Icela Rodriguez called for the strikers to lift the blockades.

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“It’s fundamental that the legitimate exercise of the right to protest can coexist with the rights of those who live in and move through this great city,” the official said.

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AFP

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