logo
Mexico president slams xenophobia after anti-gentrification protest

Mexico president slams xenophobia after anti-gentrification protest

France 242 days ago
Friday's rally in Mexico City turned violent, with some of the several hundred protesters vandalizing businesses including a Starbucks coffee shop.
Others held signs saying "Gringo go home" or demanding that foreigners speak Spanish, pay taxes and respect Mexican culture.
"The xenophobic displays at this demonstration must be condemned," Sheinbaum said at her morning news conference.
Protesters complained that an influx of remote workers and other foreigners since the Covid pandemic had driven up rent prices and displaced Mexicans, a phenomenon known as gentrification.
As they passed street-side restaurants, some demonstrators heckled foreign diners, who either ignored them or left.
Sheinbaum, who was Mexico City mayor from 2018 to 2023, called the motive for the protest legitimate but rejected calls for foreigners to leave.
The leftist leader linked the rise in rents to the arrival of "digital nomads," many of them from the United States, as well as real estate speculation connected to online rental platforms such as Airbnb.
Mexico is home to one-fifth of the five million expatriates counted by the Association of Americans Resident Overseas in 2023.
The march came as US President Donald Trump intensifies his crackdown against undocumented immigrants in the United States.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariff, demands Bolsonaro trial ends
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariff, demands Bolsonaro trial ends

Euronews

time36 minutes ago

  • Euronews

Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariff, demands Bolsonaro trial ends

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he would impose 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports, citing a 'witch hunt' trial against the country's former President Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro is on trial in Brazil, accused of trying to overturn his 2022 election loss. He faces charges including involvement in an armed criminal organisation and attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law. Trump has described Bolsonaro as a friend and previously hosted him at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida when they were both in power in 2020. 'This Trial should not be taking place,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'It is a Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY.' Trump addressed his tariff letter to incumbent Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who took power from Bolsonaro in 2022. Lula responded that the 50% tariffs would trigger Brazil's economic reciprocity law. That allows trade, investment and intellectual property agreements to be suspended for country's which harm Brazil's competitiveness. 'Brazil is a sovereign country with independent institutions that will not accept being taken for granted by anyone,' Lula said. Lula also added that the US had a trade surplus of over $410 billion (€349 billion) with Brazil over the last 15 years. Bolsonaro testified before Brazil's Supreme Court in June over the alleged plot to remain in power despite his loss in the 2022 elections. Judges will hear from 26 other defendants over the coming months, and analysts say a judgement could come as early as September. Bolsonaro has already been banned from running for office until 2030. The former President did not comment about Trump's tariff announcement but has described himself as politically persecuted.

Rubio to meet with Russia's Lavrov, ASEAN allies in Malaysia
Rubio to meet with Russia's Lavrov, ASEAN allies in Malaysia

France 24

time2 hours ago

  • France 24

Rubio to meet with Russia's Lavrov, ASEAN allies in Malaysia

Rubio's first visit to Asia as secretary of state comes after US President Donald Trump ramped up his trade war this week and Russia pummelled Ukraine with its largest missile and drone attack in three years of war. The top US diplomat is to meet Sergei Lavrov Thursday on the sidelines of a meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Kuala Lumpur. Trump on Tuesday accused his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of talking "bullshit" about Ukraine, saying that the United States would send Kyiv more weapons to defend itself. Trump's expletive reflected his growing frustration with the Kremlin leader over the grinding war that Moscow launched in early 2022. US officials said ahead of Rubio's trip that Washington was "prioritising" its commitment to East Asia and Southeast Asia. But Trump has also threatened more than 20 countries, many in Asia, with punitive duties ranging from 20 to 50 percent, and announced a 50 percent toll on copper imports and a possible 200 percent tariff on pharmaceuticals. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim warned Asia's top diplomats on Wednesday of a new era when tariffs are among the "sharpened instruments of geopolitical rivalry." "This is no passing storm, it is a new weather of our time," Ibrahim said as the meeting of the 10-nation bloc got underway. Trump said Monday that duties he had suspended in April would snap back -- even more steeply -- on August 1. Among those targeted were top trade partners Japan and South Korea, which each face 25 percent tariffs. Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Myanmar -- all members of ASEAN -- face duties ranging from 20 percent to 40 percent if they do not strike deals with Washington by Trump's new deadline. The levels were not too far from those originally threatened in April, although some rates were notably lower this time. Vietnam, which is also an ASEAN member, is one of only two countries to have reached a tentative agreement with Trump. Rubio will attend a post-ministerial conference and a meeting by East Asian foreign ministers -- which will also see Japan, South Korea and China participating. He will also meet with Ibrahim and hold trilateral talks with the Philippines and Japan. A senior US official said the issue of tariffs was expected to be raised at the talks in Kuala Lumpur, and that Rubio would likely tell ASEAN that the United States wants to "rebalance" its trade relationships. Rubio's Chinese counterpart Wang Yi is also visiting Malaysia. Territorial disputes Chinese actions in the Asia-Pacific region and its disputed waterways are in focus at the gathering. Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, ignoring rival claims of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, and an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis. China and the Philippines -- which has a defence treaty with the United States -- have engaged in years of confrontations in the waters. Chinese and Japanese patrol vessels in the East China Sea also routinely face off around disputed islands. The tensions have driven the Philippines and Japan to deepen ties with the United States. In January, Rubio said the United States under Trump remained committed to the Philippines' defence. Last month, the Philippines, United States and Japan held joint coast guard exercises for the second time as a show of unity against Chinese activity in hotly contested waters. © 2025 AFP

Trump slaps 50% tariff on Brazil, demands end to Bolsonaro trial
Trump slaps 50% tariff on Brazil, demands end to Bolsonaro trial

France 24

time4 hours ago

  • France 24

Trump slaps 50% tariff on Brazil, demands end to Bolsonaro trial

Brazil and the United States escalated their row Wednesday over President Donald Trump 's support for coup-accused ex-leader Jair Bolsonaro, with the American president slapping a 50 percent tariff on one of its main steel suppliers. Trump has strongly criticized the prosecution of right-wing ally Bolsonaro, who is on trial for allegedly plotting to cling on to power after losing 2022 elections to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Brasilia on Wednesday summoned the United States' top envoy to the country to explain an embassy statement describing Bolsonaro as a victim of "political persecution" -- echoing Trump's claims of a "witch hunt" against the 70-year-old Brazilian firebrand. Trump then announced he would slap a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian imports starting August 1, citing "Brazil's insidious attacks on Free Elections" and warning of escalation if the country retaliates. In a letter addressed to Lula, Trump criticized the treatment of Bolsonaro as an "international disgrace" and said the trial "should not be taking place." He added Washington would launch an investigation into Brazil's trade practices. While Trump has been issuing letters to trading partners -- focusing on those his country runs a deficit with -- Brazil had until now not been among those threatened with higher duties come August 1. The South American powerhouse is the second-largest exporter of steel to the United States after Canada, shipping four million tonnes of the metal in 2024. Lula wrote on X that "any unilateral tariff increases will be addressed in light of the Brazilian Law of Economic Reciprocity." 'LEAVE BOLSONARO ALONE' On Monday, Trump angered Lula by urging Brazilian authorities to "LEAVE BOLSONARO ALONE," in a post on social media. "They have done nothing but come after him, day after day, night after night, month after month, year after year!" the US president wrote. 08:36 Lula, who narrowly beat Bolsonaro in a divisive election in 2022, hit back at Trump's "interference," insisting that "no one is above the law." Bolsonaro denies he was involved in an attempt to wrest power back from Lula as part of an alleged coup plot that prosecutors say failed only for a lack of military backing. After the plot fizzled, rioting supporters known as "Bolsonaristas" raided government buildings in 2023 as they urged the military to oust Lula. Bolsonaro was abroad at the time. The case against Bolsonaro carries echoes of Trump's prosecution over the January 6, 2021 attacks by his supporters, who overran the US Capitol to try and reverse his election loss. Trump pleaded not guilty, and the case was abandoned when he was reelected president. The cases have drawn the Trump and Bolsonaro families together, with the Brazilian ex-leader's sons lobbying for US sanctions against a Supreme Court judge sitting on the ex-president's trial. In his post Monday, Trump suggested Bolsonaro was the favorite in presidential elections next year, despite him being banned from running for spreading disinformation about Brazil's voting system. Bolsonaro thanked Trump for his defense of "peace, justice and liberty" in a social media post. On Wednesday, the US embassy in Brasilia issued a statement to "reinforce" Trump's support for the embattled former army captain, who risks a 40-year prison sentence. "Jair Bolsonaro and his family have been strong partners of the United States," read the note. "The political persecution against him, his family, and his followers is shameful and disrespects Brazil's democratic traditions." Members of the BRICS grouping, meeting in Brazil under host Lula this week, criticized Trump's imposition of import tariffs and his bombing of Iran. This drew the US president's ire and a threat of 10 percent additional tariffs on each BRICS-aligned country.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store