DistantNews
Support us
Sheinbaum: CNTE uses sticks and breaks windows; rejects repression before 2026 World Cup
🇲🇽 Mexico /Sports

Sheinbaum: CNTE uses sticks and breaks windows; rejects repression before 2026 World Cup

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum accused the CNTE teachers' union of engaging in provocative violence, comparing their current tactics to past legitimate protests.
  • She rejected calls for a violent crackdown, stating the government will not fall into the provocation, especially with the 2026 World Cup approaching.
  • Sheinbaum asserted that dialogue channels remain open through the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Public Education, despite the union's disruptive actions.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has criticized the ongoing demonstrations by the National Union of Education Workers (CNTE), distinguishing them from past, more legitimate teacher grievances. She characterized the recent actions as provocative, citing instances of violence such as broken windows and the use of sticks.

I think it is a provocation by those who arrive with their faces covered, because it is very different from the demonstrations of the CNTE teachers of many years ago to what we are experiencing now, where they decide to act with sticks, break windows, in short.

— Claudia SheinbaumThe President described the current CNTE protests as provocative and violent.

"I think it is a provocation by those who arrive with their faces covered, because it is very different from the demonstrations of the CNTE teachers of many years ago to what we are experiencing now, where they decide to act with sticks, break windows, in short," Sheinbaum stated during a press conference on Wednesday. She suggested that the extremes of the far-right and the supposed far-left are uniting to discredit the federal government.

The president emphasized that neither the Ministry of the Interior nor the Ministry of Public Education would yield to provocation. "What many want is for us to fall into the provocation of repression, which, by the way, I am against any form of repression. So they want us to fall into repression on the eve of the World Cup, we are not going to fall into provocation. If we are not Díaz Ordaz, we are not going to fall into provocation," she affirmed, referencing the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre under President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz.

What many want is for us to fall into the provocation of repression, which, by the way, I am against any form of repression. So they want us to fall into repression on the eve of the World Cup, we are not going to fall into provocation. If we are not Díaz Ordaz, we are not going to fall into provocation.

— Claudia SheinbaumSheinbaum rejected calls for a crackdown, referencing historical repression and the upcoming 2026 World Cup.

Sheinbaum reiterated that authorities are open to dialogue, proposing tripartite meetings to discuss improving teacher pensions and educational reforms. However, she deemed a personal meeting with the CNTE leadership "not pertinent" at this time, suggesting that those resorting to violence while dialogue is available appear to be aligned with the far-right.

I consider at this moment, well, that this meeting is not pertinent.

— Claudia SheinbaumThe President stated that a personal meeting with the CNTE leadership was not appropriate at this time.
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.

More Stories

From Our Blog