Mexico City’s “Gen Z” anti-government protest against President Claudia Sheinbaum bears all the hallmarks of an astroturf campaign.

A youth march with the notable absence of youth. A march against violence that ended with deliberately provoked violence. A nonpartisan march with one of its key proponents in the pay of the nation’s conservative party. A march inspired by imagery from the hit left-wing comic One Piece descending into a maelstrom of far-right hate.

The contradictions surrounding Mexico’s so-called “Generation Z” march on November 15 — also known as the “15N protests and riots” — are abundant. Moreover, they provide an object lesson in the “franchise model” of international demonstration symbolism in which a domestic event is appropriated to suit the agenda of the franchisees

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