❌ 59 explosive devices found! Protests flare before World Cup opener | OneFootball

Two days before the World Cup opening match between Mexico and South Africa, massive protest actions have put security forces in the host city of Mexico City on high alert. 

Police discovered a total of 59 explosive devices on a bus carrying arriving demonstrators. The Interior Ministry confirmed this just under 48 hours before the opening match at the legendary Azteca Stadium.

Mexico’s Deputy Interior Minister Arturo Medina made it clear: “We support peaceful demonstrations, but the public must not be put at risk by the use of explosive devices during protests.”

Radical members of the CNTE teachers’ union have been protesting for several days against the controversial pension reform. They are demanding that the decision be reversed, blocking major roads in the Mexican metropolis, and have set up a tent camp in the capital’s historic center. 

📸 LUIS CORTES - AFP or licensors

President Claudia Sheinbaum has so far relied on de-escalation and is rejecting a hard-line response shortly before the tournament. But the situation remains extremely tense. It is not only teachers’ representatives who are protesting: relatives of around 130,000 people considered missing in Mexico also want to use the World Cup’s huge spotlight. In addition, farmers and truck drivers have also announced protests and road blockades. Shortly before kickoff, the capital is facing the threat of massive traffic and security chaos.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 ALFREDO ESTRELLA - AFP or licensors