Anti-Emo Brutality In Mexico: It May Get Worse

Anthony Miccio — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:30:25 EDT

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]

Metalheads Take Anti-Emo Hatred To Illogical Extreme South Of The Border

Jess Harvell — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 16:15:00 EDT

And you thought you had beef with Those Dudes. This right here is Mexican TV news footage of a riot in Querétaro last Friday, where a supposedly hundreds-strong crowd had an ol' fashioned turf war, this time between metal fans and emo fans. Blabbermouth reports that, "an Internet campaign is reportedly being waged to launch attacks against 'emos' in other parts of the country, with various web postings portraying emos as 'homosexuals' who give a 'bad image' to tourists who visit their towns." I'm pretty sure emo fans get called homophobic slurs on message boards worldwide 24-7, 365, but can we at least, like, keep the assholism non-violent? [Blabbermouth]

Idolator: violence is never the answer

Anti-Emo Brutality In Mexico: It May Get Worse

Metalheads Take Anti-Emo Hatred To Illogical Extreme South Of The Border