World Cup Kicks Off in Mexico Amid Protests Against Austerity and Forced Disappearances

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NERMEEN SHAIKH : So, I’d like to bring in José Luis Granados Ceja. You’re covering Latin America for Drop Site News and also the co-host of Soberanía . If you could tell us — you are in Mexico City. The first match of the World Cup is happening there. If you could describe what the situation is on the ground? And also, talk about this — we spoke about it earlier with Jules — how much tickets cost there, and the protests surrounding the cup.

JOSÉ LUIS GRANADOS CEJA : So, here in Mexico, the conversation has been: Are these protests, that are happening right now as we speak, in the streets of Mexico City, which include a sit-down protest by a dissident teachers’ union called La CNTE , or — if they’re going to affect the actual event? Now, the messaging from the government has been that, no, everything is going to proceed as normal. There have been negotiations. Just yesterday, they were in closed-door negotiations with the secretary of the interior, or the Secretaría de Gobernación here in Mexico, for six hours to try to reach an agreement. It’s not clear as of yet. It’s the morning of the opening match, and we still don’t know.

But, of course, yes, here, you know, soccer is the most popular sport by far, and the people who love this sport are not going to be able to attend the games. They have been extraordinarily inaccessible to the population. And unfortunately, because also of these protests, maybe the fan fest, which is going to take place, the main one, in the Zócalo — anybody who’s been to Mexico City knows this massive public square. There’s a huge screen there. But right now it’s totally surrounded by high fences in order to keep the demonstrators out.

I think it’s important to mention these demonstrations, of course, are legitimate. The protesters are highlighting the important issues. In the case of the teachers, they’re asking for a repeal of a 2007 neoliberal law, which essentially privatized pensions in Mexico. They’re also asking for wage increases. We’ve seen other collectives come together. The the mothers of disappeared people have been protesting, trying to reach the stadium in the far south of the city. Other groups have been trying to use this occasion that the world’s attention is on Mexico as the host, as one of the three hosts, and the country that will have the opening match here, to highlight their issues. And I think it’s a perfectly legitimate thing.

The challenge, though, is that there are also reactionary forces. There are anti-popular groups who are trying to latch on to these protests, who are trying to create this scene as if there is chaos happening in Mexico. It’s not the case. I did a little walk through downtown Mexico City to see how things are like. You know, things are calm. I happened to talk to many visitors who are here, who already have arrived here in Mexico to enjoy in the festivities, and they all said that they’re more than happy to take part in everything that’s going to be available to them. They, of course, understand that there are social issues happening here in Mexico that are leading to these kinds of protests. But the expectation is that at least there will be a sense of calm, that there won’t be disruptive events to affect the enjoyment of the opening match here in Mexico.

AMY GOODMAN : And, José Luis, if you could also talk about the Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s response, both to the protests of the teachers and the others and the Indigenous people, about the disappeared, using this as a moment to highlight that issue, and President Sheinbaum’s solidarity with the Iranian team, and the deal that was worked out that they could train in Tijuana?

JOSÉ LUIS GRANADOS CEJA : Yes, of course. So, actually, the Iranian ambassador to Mexico made the proposal, actually, to have the games for — that involve the Iranian team be played in Mexico. It seemed perfectly reasonable, and it was actually something that President Claudia Sheinbaum embraced. Ultimately, it was FIFA who said that that wasn’t going to be possible, that they would play in the United States. We know that some of the trainers, some of the staff have not been issued visas and that they’re forced to fly in and fly out immediately.

But, certainly, here, also the Mexican population has embraced the Iranian team. There were crowds waiting for them, to receive them in Tijuana. So, it’s a very different attitude here in Mexico. There is this — you know, this embrace of the idea, which is a good idea on the surface of it, that this should be an occasion for us to come together and to celebrate, you know, the world’s game. But again, you know, the challenge has been that there are geopolitical considerations at play here.

The response from the government in terms of some of these protests, in the case of the teachers, has been pretty much that the government, in this moment, cannot afford to comply with the demands of the teach…