Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that she would not “fall into the trap” of cracking down on protests days before the country hosts the opening game in the World Cup.
On Tuesday, protesting teachers toppled towering statues of football players on Mexico City’s main promenade and threatened protests during the World Cup if the government does not respond to their labor demands.
The world’s biggest football extravaganza, which is being jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, kicks off on June 11 at Mexico City’s Azteca stadium.
On Monday, police teargassed a group of teachers to keep them reaching the central Zocalo square where the “Fan fest” for the 2026 World Cup is under construction.
But on Tuesday, authorities did not intervene when the protesters toppled the five-meter-tall statues.
“They want us to resort to repression in the lead-up to the World Cup,” the left-wing Sheinbaum said Wednesday at her daily press conference, adding: “We are not going to fall into the trap.”
She called for dialogue with the protesters, who are demanding a salary increase and the repeal of a pension law.
Sheinbaum’s administrat
ion has agreed with the main CNTE teaching union to a nine-percent salary increase — far from the 100 percent the dissident educators are demanding.
The monthly starting gross wage for a Mexican public school teacher is the equivalent of US $967.
By Agencies
[04/06, 10:27] Cyrus Ombati Star: Trump says Iran has agreed to not have a nuclear weapon
U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran has agreed not to have a nuclear weapon and that he would probably meet with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei at some point if things “work out”.
“They’ve already agreed they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump told “Pod Force One” in an interview broadcast on Wednesday, while speaking about Iran.
Asked about Khamenei’s involvement in talks with the U.S. on ending hostilities, Trump said, “He’s involved, absolutely. … I think they have a lot of respect for him.”
Trump said he was hearing Iran’s leader was not doing too well but was giving his approval during the negotiations. Trump added that he had not had “the privilege of meeting” Khamenei.
“I’d like to meet him. We probably will meet at some point, depending on how it all works out,” Trump said.
The U.S. president said he viewed the Iran war as a success because the country’s military had been defeated. The conflict, which began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on February 28, has upended the global energy market and has proven unpopular with Americans months before November congressional elections.
“Iran’s a big success,” Trump said in the interview. “We’ll see what happens. We’re going to, we’re working on a deal, and that happens fine. If it doesn’t happen, that’s OK too. We’ll do it the other way.”
He did not specify what that might mean, but has said in the past that the U.S. would resume strikes.
By Agencies
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