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 administration 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.
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