Thousands protest femicides in Mexico on International Women's Day

By Jorge Antonio Rocha

MEXICO (AA) - Protests were held in Mexico’s capital Tuesday denouncing the ongoing wave of gender-based killings in the country as the world marked International Women's Day.

Carrying signs remembering victims of femicide and chanting "Not one more assassination!" in unison, thousands of women took to the streets of Mexico City urging the government to do more to protect them.

Government buildings in the city’s main square were guarded to fend off demonstrators outside Mexico's National Palace.

The mass protests held throughout the capital were reported to be mostly peaceful. But according to authorities, there were reports that 25 participants required medical attention, three of which were rushed to the hospital.

According to the Department of Public Security, a policewoman sustained an eye injury when an unknown assailant attacked her with an ice pick.

The head of the Ministry of the Interior of Mexico City, Marti Batres, said there were individuals not connected with the protests who instigated violence in the main square.

"Right now, there are many men in front of the fence that protects the National Palace. They are part of the groups that generate violence that we referred to previously," Batres said on Twitter.

Batres reiterated that police use only fire extinguishers and shields to prevent protests from turning violent. However, this contradicts testimonies by women who claim that chemical agents were used to repel them.

"I am the voice of all those who cannot scream, those who are missing. I am going to scream and fight for all those who are no longer here, for those who have been taken away from us," said Monica Reyes, a high school student in Mexico City.

"I feel very powerless seeing what they do to us women. However, I feel unity and affection being here in the protest. I feel protected next to other women."