A diverse start for a common cause
The mobilization for International Women’s Day will not have a single starting point. That’s the first big news. Due to the enormous diversity of groups and collectives, the demonstration on March 8 (8M) in Mexico City will begin from different places and at different times.
It is as if each current of the feminist movement decided to start its own path, knowing that they all converge at the same destination: the Zócalo.
The meeting points: a map of the fight
Some groups, such as the Green Contingent and the Mixed and Transinclusive Contingent, call for a meeting at the Glorieta de las Mujeres que Luchan (Paseo de la Reforma and Ignacio Ramírez) at 11:30 AM to march at noon.
Others, like the Menstrual Contingent, call to gather at the Monument to the Revolution at 11:00 AM. The women of the Femidisca Contingent will meet at the Torre del Caballito, in Reforma and Rosales.
Other organizations will simply begin their participation from icons such as the Glorieta del Ángel de la Independencia or the Diana Cazadora. The subsequent route will be shared: they will go down Paseo de la Reforma, advance along Avenida Juárez and then along the Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas, to finally reach the Zócalo plateau along Avenida 5 de Mayo.
Security with a feminine face
An element that makes a difference this year is the security operation. The march will be accompanied by 400 policewomen from the Secretariat of Citizen Security (SSC).
The official message seeks to distance itself from any shadow of censorship. The head of the SSC, Pablo Vázquez, was clear:
“the presence of the uniformed officers… will seek not to censor but to respond to risk situations.”
It is an interesting political move. It changes the narrative of the confrontation and puts the focus on protection, with agents who, in theory, could better understand the dynamics and demands of the demonstration.
In the end, beyond the schedules and starting points, what will be seen this 8M is the unstoppable force of a movement that has learned to move in many directions at the same time, but always forward.
