Alberto Capella, a former activist and security expert, says the November 15th march in the Zocalo was political engineering to control the narrative.
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I was present in Mexico City during the march organized by Generation Z and other citizen groups, whose main trigger was the terrible assassination of Mayor Carlos Manzo.
What I write here is not speculation or a third-party reconstruction: it is what I saw, experienced, and analyzed directly on the ground, drawing on my experience as a citizen activist leading marches against violence almost 20 years ago in Baja California and, on the other hand, as an authority figure coordinating the response to mass demonstrations. I do so with the sensitivity and understanding of someone who knows these dynamics from the inside.
—1. A march of diverse citizen sectors, profoundly spontaneous and peaceful
The march began around 11:00 a.m. From the outset, it was clear that it was a diverse mobilization, comprised of:
- Entire families,
- Senior citizens,
- Young people,
- Adults of all ages,
- Professionals,
- Neighborhood groups,
- Citizens without corporate structures.
Visually, the following predominated:
- Flags associated with Generation Z,
- Numerous national flags,
- And the color white, a universal symbol of peace.
The slogans were constant, clear, and numerous:
- Against Morena,
- Against Claudia Sheinbaum,
- Against Adán Augusto López,
- Against Gerardo Fernández Noroña,
- And above all, insistent demands for justice for the murder of Carlos Manzo.
The atmosphere was peaceful, indignant, and determined. For more than three hours, from Reforma to Eje Central, the flow was an uninterrupted human river.
- The arrival at the Zócalo: an operation designed to inhibit, not to protect
As we approached the Zócalo, I observed an operation that was not intended to protect monuments or facilitate the arrival of citizens, but rather to inhibit the mass gathering.
The containment measures consisted of:
- Metal fences forming an “L” shape around the Cathedral and the National Palace,
- Barricades along Lázaro Cárdenas Avenue and Francisco I. Madero Street,
- The only real access point was 5 de Mayo Street.
This type of configuration generates confusion, slowness, fragmentation, and fear.
Anyone familiar with these tactics knows they are designed to reduce the visual, political, and numerical impact of a citizen gathering.
—3. First impact: violence positioned precisely where citizens were entering
Upon entering via 5 de Mayo Street, the first thing we encountered was a group of young people attacking the fences on the side of the Cathedral, right at the point where peaceful citizens were entering.
What did they find at the scene?
- Smoke,
- Blows,
- Riot police resisting,
- Shouts,
- Confusion,
- Faces filled with fear.
Thousands of people stopped or turned back.
Placing a focal point of violence right at the entrance is not accidental; it’s a clear tactic of deterrence.
- The main focus of violence was in front of the National Palace.
The largest group of vandals was in front of the National Palace, where the aggression was most intense and prolonged:
- Stones,
- Bottles,
- Lit objects,
- High-impact firecrackers.
It’s essential to point this out:
Half of the barriers that were knocked down were those in front of the National Palace, not those in front of the Cathedral.
That was the most serious point of confrontation.
- My sensitivity towards the riot police: they were also victims.
I must stop here.
I’ve been on the other side of the shield. I know what it means to withstand direct attacks for hours.
On Saturday, November 15th, I watched riot police endure more than five hours of:
- Stones,
- Punches,
- Bottles,
- Molotov cocktails,
- Smoke,
- Pepper spray,
- Other chemical agents,
- And deafening firecracker explosions.
They are human beings, too.
And they, too, were victims of a political equation that kept them stationary, receiving attacks without authorization to intervene.
When they were finally “released,” they reacted forcefully.
I don’t justify excesses, but I understand the human reaction of someone who has been under attack for hours.
They, too, were used by the operational design.
- The firecrackers: a roar that many mistook for gunfire
The firecrackers had a brutal auditory impact.
Many people—especially those not used to protests—thought they were gunshots.
Consequences:
- Children crying,
- Frightened elderly people,
- Entire families rushing out.
That loud noise was decisive in thousands choosing not to enter the Zócalo.
—7. Why wasn’t the Zócalo full if the march was enormous?
Because the situation was designed to avoid overcrowding at the Zocalo.
Upon arrival, citizens encountered:
- Strategically placed violence,
- Intimidating noise,
- Smoke,
- Operational bottlenecks,
- A single, congested access point,
- Street closures,
- Barricades that reduced usable space.
Each group arrived, saw the scene, and chose to leave.
The lack of concentration wasn’t spontaneous:
It was induced.
- The Final Dispersion: Pursuit and Escape Through All Exits
Around 4 p.m., the riot police:
- Broke the cordon,
- Advance onto the esplanade,
- And triggered a mass exodus.
People ran toward:
- 5 de Mayo,
- 16 de Septiembre,
- And Francisco I. Madero,
all of which were congested and transformed into escape routes with bottlenecks formed by barricades.
It was a moment of panic for thousands.
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- “Passive Autocracy”: The Political Behavior That Explains What Happened
What I experienced is reminiscent of “passive-aggressive” behavior:
a way of attacking while disguising the intention.
In politics, this has a name: passive autocracy.
A passive autocracy:
- It doesn’t outright prohibit,
- It doesn’t openly repress,
- It doesn’t declare censorship…
But the whole thing was designed to send a powerful message from the National Palace.
“The Zócalo belongs to Morena and its movement, to nobody else.”
It operates like this:
- It lets you march… but places violence wherever you arrive.
- It lets you advance… but funnels you through.
- It doesn’t prevent you from entering… but generates fear so you don’t stay.
- It doesn’t prevent the protest… but distorts the final image.
It is control without admitting it.
It is repression without declaring it.
It is administered authoritarianism.
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- My personal conclusion
- I saw a huge, diverse, peaceful, and profoundly civic march.
- I saw indignation and hope coexisting in the same space.
- I saw Mexico march with dignity from the Angel of Independence to the vicinity of the Zócalo.
- I saw police officers being used and assaulted for hours.
- I saw families terrified by strategically placed violence.
And I saw an operation designed to alter the public perception of a historic mobilization.
The demonstrators were peaceful, but the government wanted to make them look violent.
The narrative of chaos was fabricated.
Saturday wasn’t spontaneous disorder:
It was political engineering to control the narrative.
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Source: Cecilia Eguia Serrano Facebook
