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"Mexico Champion in Disappearances!"; Searchers Protest Again Ahead of Mexico-Czech Republic Match
🇲🇽 Mexico /Culture & Society

"Mexico Champion in Disappearances!"; Searchers Protest Again Ahead of Mexico-Czech Republic Match

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Activists protesting Mexico's enforced disappearance crisis demonstrated ahead of the Mexico vs. Czech Republic soccer match.
  • Protesters used slogans like "Join, join, your child could be next!" and "Mexico, champion of disappearances!" highlighting over 135,000 missing persons.
  • A "searcher axolotl" wore a duck mask, referencing a recent invitation by President Claudia Sheinbaum to the World Cup's ambassador duck.

Activists demanding attention to Mexico's crisis of enforced disappearances staged a protest along Paseo de la Reforma avenue ahead of the Mexican national soccer team's match against the Czech Republic. The demonstrators aimed to raise awareness about the ongoing issue of missing persons in the country.

Join, join, your child could be next!

— ProtestersSlogan used during the demonstration to highlight the pervasive nature of disappearances.

Chanting slogans such as "Join, join, your child could be next!" and "Mexico, champion of disappearances!", the protesters highlighted the staggering figure of over 135,000 people who have disappeared in Mexico. Near the Glorieta de los Desaparecidos (Roundabout of the Disappeared), mothers and collective groups organized a "small game for memory and against oblivion."

Mexico, champion of disappearances!

— ProtestersA critical slogan used by activists to draw attention to the scale of the disappearance crisis.

One notable participant, the "searcher axolotl," wore a duck mask. This act was a reference to President Claudia Sheinbaum's recent invitation to "Marlín," the duck ambassador for the World Cup in Mexico City, to the National Palace. The "searcher axolotl" expressed through a sign, "I have to dress up as a duck for the president to notice us."

I have to dress up as a duck for the president to notice us.

— "ajolote buscador"A protester dressed as an axolotl wearing a duck mask, explaining their symbolic action.

According to figures shared by the collectives and mothers searching for their loved ones, Mexico has over 133,000 people missing and unlocated as of April this year. The protesters called for public engagement, urging people to "Join and score a goal for the disappeared people. Where are they?"

Join and score a goal for the disappeared people. Where are they?

— ProtestersA call to action and a question posed by activists during the demonstration.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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