Blue-haired and fierce, Tania was one of the women who took the streets on Monday to call on the authorities in favor of abortion. She stressed that what motivated her to participate is "mainly the struggle of all women, being together and organized. We are going for the same objective, which is legalization."
When asked about what has been lacking for abortion to be legal throughout the Republic, she replied that there is still a retrograde and macho vision that does not allow women to go further and have all the rights that correspond to them.
She stressed that between 750 thousand and one million clandestine abortions are performed yearly. Unfortunately, many women die when they undergo these procedures, hence the urgency of making it legal.
While marching, Claudia said, "we hope to be a force and to be heard," although she regretted that they could not reach the Zócalo to deliver their petition to the authorities as they had planned. Regarding what she would ask President López Obrador and the head of Government, she said: "I would love to tell them to support women''s effort, all the struggles that have occurred in history are valid, and that is why they must brace us. "
The fight for a legal, safe, and free abortion was felt in Mexico City. However, it was overshadowed by a clash between activists and police who kettled them for four hours.
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"We are going to fight to conquer legal abortion," hundreds of women clamored. They demanded deciding on their body as September 28 is Global Action Day for a legal and safe abortion.
As part of their demands, they asked that in addition to legalizing abortion, comprehensive sexuality education be taught in schools and a more significant budget for reproductive health and shelters for women victims of aggression. However, the green wave in favor of abortion was overshadowed by clashes between feminist groups and the police.
The first contingent left the Monument to the Revolution after 2:30 p.m. towards the Zócalo in Mexico City. Just a few meters from where the march began, the protesters vandalized the ISSSTE offices, where they broke some windows.
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In the protest, the groups that left the Monument to the Revolution were blocked by policemen who prevented them from continuing their way to the Zócalo, where there were two other protests by conservative-oriented groups.
Tension increased when a demonstrator with her head covered and a bag over her shoulder threw a Molotov cocktail directly at the police officers. Some of the demonstrators with their faces covered then lit fire with the spray paints they had, which they threw at the uniformed men surrounding them.
During the clash, the demonstrators also chased a female police officer, until they knocked her down and kicked her multiple times when she was on the ground. The policewoman was taken out of the crowd by her fellow partners and transferred to an ERUM ambulance.
Avenida Juárez was covered with green and pink gas on multiple occasions, thrown by the police to repel the aggression.
The Secretary of Citizen Security of Mexico City indicated that various blows and burns injured 13 demonstrators and 43 policewomen, four cops were transferred to a hospital.
A second contingent would leave the Hemicycle for Juárez towards the Zócalo as planned, but it could not arrive, and members of the Collective Pan y Rosas held a rally in the Central Axis. The rhythm of the batucada played by a group of women with colored wigs revitalized that part of the legal abortion demonstration. "My friends take care of me, not the police" and "We are bad, we can be worse, and whoever does not like it gets screwed, gets screwed" were some of the phrases that the demonstrators chanted. At the same time, they confronted the authorities, who did not allow them to get to the Zócalo in Mexico City, as they had planned. Even in Bellas Artes, the demonstrators were confined in Balderas, vandalizing some newsstands as they passed. Upon arrival, the tension returned because the police did not allow them to pass. "They are crushing us. They are fanning us, and they are throwing gas at us, that''s what we are getting from this Government from the fourth deformation. We hold the Government responsible for the confrontations that are taking place," said one of the protesters in the stage.
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The feminist collectives demanded that the head of the capital''s Government, Claudia Sheinbaum, and president Andrés Manuel López Obrador intervene so that they were allowed to pass. Arturo Medina official, of the Government of Mexico City, arrived at the location. At that moment, the number of uniformed men and women was more significant than the demonstrators confined. The feminist collectives denounced that there were around three policemen for each protester. Data from the capital government indicated 900 Dialogue and Coexistence monitors, members of the SECGOB Peace Brigades, and 1,700 policewomen from the Atenea Group of the Citizen Security Secretariat (SSC) participated. The National Network of Human Rights Defenders denounced that there was excessive use of force by the authorities against feminist groups, attacking and holding them to prevent them from advancing to the Zócalo. After 7:00 p.m., the police allowed demonstrators to move on the Central Axis towards Garibaldi. At that moment of the protest, some of the hooded women carried shields that they took from the uniformed men. While they walked, a festive atmosphere was felt with the music of the batucada. Although they were still surrounded, the demonstrators broke the glass at the Garibaldi Metrobus stop and continued on their way back to the Hidalgo metro, where the march ended.
GOVERNMENT OF CDMX JUSTIFIES CONFINEMENT
The Government of Mexico City affirmed that it guaranteed the safety of the 600 people attending the demonstration by applying the Agreement for police action to prevent violence and acts that violate exercising rights during attendance at rallies and meetings in Mexico City." In response to the demonstrators who detonated explosives, attacked policewomen, vehicles, the building of the ISSSTE Workers'' Union, among other establishments with hammers, bats, sticks, and other dangerous items. Demonstrators were confined in Avenida Juárez and Balderas by forces of the Atenea Group of the Secretariat of Citizen Security (SCC)".
THE KETTLING IS CONDEMN
The Mesoamerican Initiative of Women Human Rights Defenders criticized the police strategy to use fire extinguishers and tear gas during the protest. "The attacks occurred even though the demonstrators did not seek confrontation." "We remind the Mexican authorities that the confinement method or ''kettling'' represent repressive tactics that endanger the integrity of the person and violates their right to freedom of assembly and expression, their right to protest and free movement. Besides being a traumatic experience for those who are trapped inside," they affirmed in a statement.
ACCOMPANY THE CDHCM
The Human Rights Commission of Mexico City (CDHCM) accompanied three feminist groups'' mobilizations supporting legal and free abortion. The Organism personnel managed and intervened with the capital authorities to guarantee social protest exercise several times.
However, "At several times, we observed that aspects of regulations and action protocols were breached in contexts of demonstrations," the agency warned.
"We are documenting and investigating. We have also requested meetings with the Secretary of Citizen Security and the Secretary of Government, both from Mexico City, to prevent future events such as those that arose today".
The Commission reported blows and intoxication injured 43 police officers, and 13 female protesters were injured and treated. There is no record of disappeared or detained demonstrators.
RALLY IN SAN LÁZARO
Without demonstrators, the feminist collective Rosas Rojas held a rally at the Chamber of Deputies'' main entrance to commemorate global abortion day. The average number of young people in the place was twenty.
They accused that if no more attendees arrived, it was because the police asked them to get from the historic center to this point since the main protest had begun a couple of hours earlier at the Monument to the Revolution to reach the Zócalo. Still, the police, after identifying some acts of vandalism, did not allow it.
The Chamber of Deputies'' main entrance is guarded by an average of 30 policewomen, while the accesses to the Candelaria metro station were closed.
#ÚltimaHora ?? La organización Rosas Rojas (@RosasRojasGar), celebra mitin sin manifestante, a favor del aborto afuera de @Mx_Diputados. Acusan que la policía impide su llegada. https://t.co/oX3fg1WGcm pic.twitter.com/8vmUk1vK73
— La Silla Rota (@lasillarota) September 28, 2020
In their speeches, demonstrators demanded that federal legislators approve bills that promote legal and safe abortion in all 32 states.
The Mexico City government office reported that concerning the demonstration that took place in front of the Chamber of Deputies, there was also a device made up of female elements of the Secretariat for Citizen Security to guarantee the free expression of the groups.
SSC DOES NOT RESPOND TO AGGRESSIONS
The SSC affirms that during the protests in the CDMX, "Security forces do not respond to the aggressions. They request that any material that could cause damage be handed so demonstrators can peacefully continue their expression " The Frenaa camp is installed in the Zócalo.
#SSC informa: Mujeres policías de esta Secretaría no utilizan gas lacrimógeno, ni gas pimienta para dispersar manifestantes; solo están equipadas con equipo de protección personal y extintores para mitigar cualquier incendio. pic.twitter.com/R74KTYohrA
— SSC CDMX (@SSC_CDMX) September 28, 2020
The agency also clarified that so as not to "put at-risk women who refuse to hand over these objects or people who exercise their right to demonstrate, through a sit-in." The demonstrators are asked to hand over "any object that may represent a risk" during the march.
Traducción: Valentina K. Yanes