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Is there a hidden agenda behind the protests at Mexico’s most prestigious university?

The protests started when women demanded the eradication of sexual harassment inside the campus

UNAM high schools and university faculties have launched both pacific and violent protests - Photo: Karina Contreras/EL UNIVERSAL
06/02/2020 |08:49
Redacción El Universal
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The internal conflicts inside Mexico’s most prestigious university , the National Autonomous University of Mexico ( ), have escalated in the last four months; moreover, some faculties and high schools are paralyzed. The reason behind the protests is the of Lesvy Berlín Osorio , who was murdered inside the campus in May 2017 .

The case turned into a banner for the in Mexico City as w o men demanded justice . Later, women added more demands such as the eradication of , often perpetrated by UNAM teachers , workers , and fellow students , as well as the improvement of the medical service at schools after a high school student died as a result of a deficient service at the school.

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In the past, the UNAM has been besieged by conflict for attacks against academic freedom , the increase in fees , the implementation of new fees , the demand to increase the spots available for students, an initiative the automatic acceptance into the university, and for proposals to update syllabuses . Many of these attempts have been labeled as attempts to privatize higher education .

This time, those who have partially paralyzed the university claim that their actions are meant to pressure UNAM authorities to demand the eradication of and inside the university. Nevertheless, the November 2019 protests were also aimed against the reelection of UNAM dean Enrique Graue ; during these protests, historical buildings were damaged.

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These conflicts show that anonymous , masked protesters have used the demand to halt violence against women at the Mexican university as an excuse to destabilize the university , which has always been perceived as valuable political spoils for its dimensions and importance; it is a strategic conquest for any party looking to destabilize the country.

While President Andrés Manuel López Obrador talks about the intervention of a “ dark force ” at the UNAM , the university dean claims these are attempts to destabilize the university and although both acknowledge that there are serious issue inside the UNAM and that the demands made by are legitimate , they also see a hidden agenda behind the violent protests although it is not clear who is behind this. In the end, it is better to negotiate and discuss urgent matters than to ignore them.

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