Gerardo Fernández Noroña, president of the Senate’s Board of Directors, abruptly ended a conference at the Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE) due to protests from students. The demonstrators challenged his statements regarding findings at the Izaguirre Ranch in Teuchitlán, Jalisco.
On March 31, 2025, Noroña attended CIDE to present the lecture “Reforms from the Left,” but was met with banners and shoes symbolizing the Teuchitlán case. The protest escalated into a tense exchange, culminating in Noroña’s departure after one hour.
“At what point did I say they are not missing? You claim that the Teuchitlán field was a Mexican Auschwitz and that 200 people were exterminated there. I maintain that this has not been proven. While I acknowledged that the dialogue was respectful, I now say it makes no sense to continue, as you are straying from the truth,” he asserted before concluding the event.
Noroña indicated that the student protest stemmed from “misinformation and distortion” of his comments. “I do not evade the protest, but my words have been manipulated. There are my shoes, and they do not belong to a missing person,” he stated.
The senator also condemned media comparisons of the Izaguirre Ranch case with the disappearance of the 43 Ayotzinapa students, arguing that while the latter involves verified identities, there is no direct evidence linking the found shoes to any missing individuals.
“Drawing a parallel with Ayotzinapa is the height of manipulation. The 43 missing youths have names and confirmed identities. In the case of the 200 shoes, there is neither a name nor any evidence to demonstrate that they belonged to missing persons. Currently, there is no proof to support this. Sure, evidence could emerge later, but as of now, it does not exist,” he emphasized.
The legislator expressed sympathy for families searching for their loved ones but insisted that some political actors have exploited their pain for other purposes.
“If you tell this to a searching mother, I understand perfectly. To her, a pair of shoes may represent the hope of finding her child. However, that does not change the malevolence of those who have orchestrated a campaign with her suffering. One must ask: When have the PRI and PAN truly cared for the people and the victims?” he questioned during his speech.
In the discussion, he reiterated his stance and criticized the opposition for allegedly politicizing the issue. “There has been a despicable handling of this by the right. It is not true that it was an extermination camp,” he insisted.
When confronted by attendees for consistently blaming previous governments, Noroña responded, “We have fought against this our whole lives, risking our safety, integrity, and families. We cannot be lumped together with the murderers who have bathed this country in blood.”
The conference concluded in an atmosphere of tension, with no consensus reached among the participants.
