Anti-Emo Brutality In Mexico: It May Get Worse

anthonyjmiccio | March 27, 2008 12:30 pm
With more rioting and violence against “emos” expected at the upcoming City Fair in Tijuana, Mexico, the Mexican government is assisting in an ad campaign designed to curb the attacks, which began earlier this month. While it’s being argued that the resentment toward this particular strain of youth culture is due to its corporate promotion and increasing media omnipresence, it’s clear that the same homophobia that drove backlashes against disco and new wave is playing a large part. Why else would the abuse be aimed at the kids who enjoy the music, rather than the companies that hawk it? A brief timeline after the cut.

From Daniel Hernandez’s blog, Intersections, which has extensively covered the incidents:

The spark came first in Queretaro on March 7. An estimated 800 young people poured into the city’s Centro Historico hunting for emos to beat the crap out of. They found some. The next weekend it spread to Mexico City, where emos faced off against punks and rockabillies at the Glorieta de Insurgents, the epicenter of emo social space in the capital. There’s also been reports of anti-emo violence in Durango, Colima, and elsewhere…

From another post by Hernandez:

In Queretaro on March 15, a week after the first anti-emo incident nationally, emos and others staged a silent march for peace and tolerance through Queretaro’s centro. [On March 19th], emos and their supporters in Mexico City demonstrated in front of the headquarters of the municipal justice department. The action was organized by a Mexico City gay-rights organization, highlighting the contention of some that the anti-emo movement is homophobic, among other undercurrents. After the rally the emos marched to the metro under police protection and returned to their unofficial base, the Glorieta de Insurgentes, chanting “Emos! Emos! Emos!” On Tuesday, emos here met with representatives of the D.F. municipal government.

It’s hard to believe that people may actually need to see the slogan “For the freedom of being young, live and let live” in 2008, but it looks like some can’t help but blame the kid with the funny haircut for a perceived loss of national identity.

The Emos In Mexico Are Fighting Back [Intersections] Mexico’s Emo War Escalates: Government calls for unity as massive attacks are threatened in Tijuana [The Daily Swarm] Emo Se Defendien [YouTube]

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