Protesters clash with police in Mexico City over missing students

World Today

Thousands are protesting Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto’s handling of the disappearance of 43 students in the southern state of Guerrero. CCTV America’s Franc Contreras reported this story from Mexico City.

The day after another mass protest rally, many Mexicans are concerned that their nation might continue to drift toward more violence. Clashes on Thursday with police began in the early afternoon and 15 people were arrested near Mexico City’s airport.

Hours later, thousands of peaceful protestors, led by the families of the 43 missing students, began marching toward Mexico City’s main plaza, known as the Zocalo.

Protesters demanded justice and the government bring the missing students back alive, despite government statements that the missing students were taken by police working with a local drug gang in September and are now believed to be dead.

Protestors filled the Zocalo, aiming their rage at Nieto. The night ended with a relatively small group of protestors attacking city police and the arrest of 16 more people.

Mexico City was mostly calm on Friday. However the left-leaning party of the Democratic Revolution continues to face a leadership shake-up over its ties to the governor of Guerrero state, where clandestine graves have been discovered near where the 43 students went missing.