MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Amnesty International condemns police violence at World Cup opening protests in Mexico City

Mexico City's government deployed more than 10,000 officers around the stadium and hotel corridors

Amnesty International (AI) on Thursday condemned the violence by security forces during the large protests in southern Mexico City surrounding the opening of the 2026 World Cup, in which police used fire extinguishers to disperse demonstrators. The organization demanded respect for and protection of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and protest.

In a message on its X account, AI held that “all action by the security forces must strictly adhere to the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality and accountability.” The organization, which acted as an observer of the mobilizations, called on authorities to “prioritize dialogue” and to refrain from resorting to excessive use of force, arbitrary detentions or “any act of repression,” and demanded that the physical integrity of both demonstrators and bystanders be guaranteed.

The protests, which escalated as the opening match began at the Estadio Ciudad de México (the former Azteca), brought together a coalition of groups, including teachers from the National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE), transport workers and mothers searching for disappeared relatives, under slogans such as “if there is no solution, the ball will not roll.” According to testimonies circulated on social media, firecrackers and stones were thrown and cars were set on fire. The Mexican outlet UnoTV reported seven people detained after incidents at one of the stadium's gates and six police officers injured.

Mexico City's government deployed more than 10,000 officers around the stadium and hotel corridors. Authorities said they respect the right to protest but warned they would not allow the blockade or sabotage of the event. The Citizen Security Secretariat had said its officers would not carry weapons and that the fire extinguishers were part of equipment to put out fires.

The statement came on a day also marked by the mobilization of relatives of disappeared people, who are demanding justice. According to the National Registry cited by Amnesty International, as of May 25 there were 134,460 disappeared or unlocated people in Mexico. Various collectives had expressed fear that the protests could lead to repression similar to that of October 2, 1968, when the Mexican state cracked down on a student demonstration in the Tlatelolco square ten days before the Olympic Games. In a March report, the organization had already warned of the human-rights risks associated with the World Cup, among them possible restrictions on protest.