Mexico's Secretary of the Interior, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, said the National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE) should maintain dialogue and peacefully remove their protest camp [1, 3].
The appeal comes as the government seeks to resolve long-standing teacher demands without violence while ensuring that the academic progress of children and youth is not disrupted [4].
Rodríguez focused her request on the CNTE's presence in the Zócalo, located in the Historic Center of Mexico City [1, 2]. The Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Public Education said they desire to resume institutional dialogue to address the union's grievances [2].
Government officials said that there has been progress in the negotiations with the teachers [3]. This push for a peaceful resolution follows reports of instability during the mobilizations. According to Vanguardia, three people were injured during the protests [2], though an MSN report cited only one injured protester [5].
Rodríguez said that the government rejects the presence of provocateurs who might incite violence during the demonstrations [2]. The Interior Ministry said the goal is to reach a solution through institutional channels rather than through prolonged street occupations [4].
The CNTE has a history of using high-profile protests in the capital to pressure the federal government for labor rights and changes to education policy. By urging a peaceful exit, the administration aims to clear the city's central square while maintaining a channel for negotiation [1, 3].
“Rosa Icela Rodríguez called on the CNTE to maintain dialogue and peacefully remove their protest camp.”
The Mexican government is attempting to balance labor concessions with the maintenance of public order in the capital's most symbolic space. By acknowledging 'progress' in negotiations while simultaneously demanding the removal of the plantón, the administration is trying to transition the conflict from a public spectacle in the Zócalo back to private institutional bargaining.
