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Criticism Mounts After Oct. 2 'Bloque Negro' Violence and Police Restraint

A restrained official response faces mounting accountability calls.

Overview

  • City officials said around 350 masked individuals identified as the 'Bloque Negro' infiltrated the Tlatelolco commemoration and carried out coordinated attacks and looting.
  • The clashes left 123 injured, including 94 police and 29 civilians, with 16 officers hospitalized and three reported in serious condition.
  • Merchant groups reported extensive losses from looting in the Historic Center, estimating damages near 900 million to one billion pesos.
  • UNAM reported damage to the Memorial of 1968 and university cultural facilities, and Rector Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas condemned the assault on sites of civic memory.
  • Authorities pledged investigations while defending a restrained posture, drawing sharp criticism over alleged impunity, and reporting to date only one detention despite widespread video evidence.