Murder of outspoken anti-crime mayor spurs violent protests in Mexican state

By Max Saltman, Mauricio Torres, CNN

(CNN) — Violent protests have broken out in the Mexican state of Michoacán over the murder of an outspoken anti-crime mayor, who was killed over the weekend while taking part in a Day of the Dead celebration.

The protests began on Sunday in the state capital Morelia under the slogan “enough of abuses and omissions.” The demonstration turned violent, and some people stormed Morelia’s Government Palace. Local authorities confirmed the arrest of eight people.

On Tuesday, authorities in the city of Apatzingán confirmed that people had set fire to the city hall saying in a Facebook post that the violence was carried out by “shock groups whose objectives are far from the true construction of peace.”

The shocking murder of Carlos Manzo, the mayor of Uruapan, on Saturday was one of the episodes of violence that sparked these protests in the state. There was also latent anger over the murder of Bernardo Bravo Manríquez, the head of a local citrus growers association in Apatzingán, who was found dead in October just days after calling for tighter security for agriculture workers.

The back-to-back killings of both men, who occupied different sectors of society, showed how violence has touched every part of Michoacán life, David Mora, senior Mexico analyst at the International Crisis Group, told CNN.

The protests are “an honest reaction of the citizens of Michoacán… who for many years have been living under a context of extreme insecurity and high violence,” Mora said.

Saturday’s murder of Manzo adds to the wave of violence affecting the southwestern Mexican state, where in December 2006 then-President Felipe Calderón launched what he called a “war” on organized crime. Since then, despite changes in government at the state and federal levels, violence has persisted.

Instability has forced residents of some towns in Michoacán and neighboring Jalisco to abandon their homes completely, creating numerous “ghost towns” in the rural areas between the two states.

Demonstrators referenced both Manzo and Bravo at this week’s protests.

“For my family, for you, for Mexico, for Carlos, for Bernardo, for all who have fallen, sons of bitches!” one man shouted in a video taken by Reuters on Monday. Other clips from protests across Michoacán, show many wearing cowboy-style hats as a nod to the late mayor’s sartorial style.

Protesters who spoke with Reuters railed against the extortion and violence common in Michoacán, where lemon and avocado farmers are often forced to pay exorbitant bribes to drug trafficking groups.

“We’re tired as a people,” one protester said.

A ‘plan for peace’

Manzo was attacked at an event for the Day of the Dead on Saturday shortly after finishing a livestream on social media. The suspected attacker, who was killed at the scene but has not been identified, is a teenager believed to be between the ages of 17 and 19, Michoacan’s attorney general said Monday.

The official added that authorities believe the crime was planned by an organized crime group, but did not offer further details.

Manzo was a popular figure in local politics in Michoacán, who was elected on a tough-on-crime platform.

In a typical video posted on social media in May, Manzo addressed local police while wearing a bullet-proof vest and his signature cowboy hat, warning them against providing criminals with “leniency.”

“Any criminal you encounter who is armed and resists arrest or attacks citizens, if you detect them during operations, you must take them down; there should be no leniency with them,” Manzo said.

The late mayor was also a fierce critic of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and her party’s approach to the country’s security issues. Manzo often posted announcements of new arrests on his Facebook page, along with pleas to Sheinbaum’s government for better security in the face of crime and extortion in his city.

One recent post, which Manzo implored his followers to share widely, demanded that Sheinbaum “not leave Uruapan alone in the fight against federal crimes, which are the responsibility of the federation to address.” CNN reached out to Sheinbaum’s office for comment.

On Tuesday, Sheinbaum spent most of her morning press conference addressing Manzo’s death and her government’s “plan for peace and justice” in Michoacán.

“Our commitment is to get to the truth and do justice in the case of the cowardly murder of Carlos Manzo,” Sheinbaum said.

Sheinbaum said her plan would take aim at the roots of crime through strategic investments in education, living wages for farm workers, and strengthening rural infrastructure. The plan also includes “strengthening the presence of federal forces in Michoacán,” according to a document released by the president’s office after the press conference.

Mora does not see much new in Sheinbaum’s proposal, particularly around more federal troops in Michoacán.

“She’s doubling down on things that we’ve seen are not necessarily working in other states, in other parts of Mexico,” Mora said. “She’s sending more troops in, and that’s basically what they have been doing in Sinaloa for the past year.”

He said the presence of troops in Sinaloa, home to Mexico’s oldest and most violent criminal organizations, has not reduced the crime and murder rate.

“If you look at the homicide numbers and other crimes,” Mora continued, “there’s not a direct connection between the presence of federal forces in the state and the lower numbers of murders and other crimes.”

Mora pointed out that violence is not new in Michoacán, either. Between January and September of this year, official data shows 1,024 intentional homicides in Michoacán, placing it as the seventh highest Mexican state for homicides in 2025.

The figures are lower than those of 2024, although there are no details on how many are directly linked to organized crime. Civil society organizations believe the true figure to be much higher.

“But this reaction,” Mora said, referring to the protests, “Organic and honest, fed up with the security situation in the state – is something new.”

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CNN’s Michael Rios, Gonzalo Zegarra, Sol Amaya and Rey Rodriguez contributed reporting.