The battle against gentrification in Mexico City

"MEXICO CITY - The first of several protests against gentrification in Mexico City, held on July 4, 2025, left graffiti on the walls of the Roma Norte neighborhood with strong messages: "Kill Gringos," "Learn Spanish, you dog," "Out with the colonizers," "Death to Airbnb," "White people: your privilege rests on our labor and dispossession.""

"That day, two "anti-gentrification" rallies took place simultaneously in the Roma Norte and Condesa neighborhoods. Both areas are part of a vibrant social corridor that is now the epicenter in Mexico City for digital nomadism and short-term rentals through platforms like Airbnb. Roma Norte is the most gentrified neighborhood in the capital, according to the Airbnb Expansion Map for Mexico City, a digital interactive tool created by architect Jero Monroy showing the growth of properties listed on Airbnb."

"During the rallies, protesters said they were against the forced displacement of residents and the closure of small businesses in the area. Along their way, they vandalized and looted shops and restaurants with an international or tourist profile."

"On Orizaba Street, the outdoor furniture of the upscale restaurant Sartoria was destroyed. "About 200 people arrived, and 20 or 30 of them started vandalizing the patio, breaking chairs, tables, furniture, and dishes," one of the restaurant's employees told palabra, requesting anonymity for fear of reprisals. The employee said they witnessed a foreigner being attacked. "There was a young man sitting outside, a blond guy, I don't know if he was American or French, but about ten people surrounded him and almost killed him," he said."

Anti-gentrification rallies on July 4, 2025 took place in Roma Norte and Condesa, neighborhoods experiencing rapid growth in short-term rentals and digital nomad activity. Graffiti in Roma Norte carried violent, anti-foreigner messages including calls against Airbnb. Protesters said they opposed forced displacement of residents and closure of small businesses. Demonstrators vandalized and looted internationally oriented shops and restaurants. Staff at the upscale restaurant Sartoria reported about 200 people arrived and that patio furniture and dishes were destroyed, and alleged an attack on a foreign patron. Media and social accounts labeled the acts xenophobic and racist. President Claudia Sheinbaum publicly rejected the xenophobic attitudes.

Read at masslive