Hundreds of protesters marched through the Mexican capital on Friday denouncing gentrification caused by foreigners, with some vandalizing businesses and shouting ‘gringos out!’
The demonstration in the capital’s central area turned violent when hooded individuals smashed windows, damaged restaurant furniture and looted a clothing store.
Mexico City’s government secretary Cesar Cravioto said 15 businesses and public facilities were damaged in what he called ‘xenophobic expressions’ similar to what Mexican migrants have suffered in other countries.
‘We are a city of open arms… there are always ways to negotiate, to sit at the table,’ Cravioto told Milenio television.
Neighbourhoods like Roma-Condesa have since 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, seen an influx of foreigners, mostly young Americans working remotely and attracted by lower living costs.
Their arrival has driven up rent prices considerably, forcing Mexican residents to move to more affordable areas.
‘Housing is a right, not a commodity,’ read placards carried by the mostly young protesters.
As they passed street-side restaurants, some demonstrators heckled American diners, who either ignored them or left, AFP witnessed.
‘Mexico for Mexicans,’ ‘Pay taxes, learn Spanish, respect my culture,’ and ‘gringo go home’ were among other protest slogans.
Roma-Condesa, a bohemian sector of the Mexican capital, has been particularly affected by gentrification. While previous demonstrations against the phenomenon have occurred in Mexico City, this was the largest protest so far.
Mexico is home to one-fifth of the five million expatriates counted by the Association of Americans Resident Overseas in 2023.
The march also comes as US president Donald Trump intensifies his crackdown against illegal immigrants in the United States.
