DistantNews
Support us
🇲🇽 Mexico /Culture & Society

Pokémon Go players accuse Mexico City authorities of harassment at Alameda Central: “Is playing now a crime?”

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Pokémon Go players said 14 police officers and seven Mexico City government workers ordered them to leave Alameda Central during a game session on Sept. 5.
  • The players accused authorities of harassing them and treating them like criminals under the argument of reclaiming public spaces.
  • The group questioned whether gathering to play the augmented-reality game had effectively become a crime.

A group of Pokémon Go players said they were surrounded by 14 police officers and seven Mexico City government workers while playing at Alameda Central on Saturday, Sept. 5.

The players said the incident occurred at about 11 a.m., during an augmented-reality game session. According to their account, officials asked them to leave the public square and invoked rules concerning the use of public space.

We are Pokémon Go players. We have been harassed and treated like criminals for gathering at Alameda Central under the argument of ‘reclaiming spaces.’ Is playing Pokémon Go now a crime?

· Administrator of Comunidad Pokémon Go CDMXThe group’s administrator described the alleged treatment by authorities in a post on social media.

The group said authorities treated them as if they were suspected of a crime. The administrator of Comunidad Pokémon Go CDMX wrote: “We are Pokémon Go players. We have been harassed and treated like criminals for gathering at Alameda Central under the argument of ‘reclaiming spaces.’ Is playing Pokémon Go now a crime?”

The game uses geolocation and encourages players to explore their surroundings while searching for Pokémon. Some people who witnessed the incident supported the players online by sharing Alameda Central’s rules of conduct. One post said: “No bikes, no scooters, no dogs. They allow everything except for us to play Pokémon Go, because apparently walking and gathering is a criminal activity.” The players later circulated their account on X, again alleging that authorities treated them like criminals while they gathered in the plaza.

No bikes, no scooters, no dogs. They allow everything except for us to play Pokémon Go, because apparently walking and gathering is a criminal activity.

· Witnesses and users supporting the playersUsers shared the plaza’s conduct rules while criticizing the alleged intervention.
About this summary

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog