Mexican president defends 10-foot barriers to wall off women protesters

FILE PHOTO: People walk past fences placed outside the National Palace ahead of expected violence in a Women's Day protest, in Mexico City, Mexico March 5, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso/File Photo

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Saturday said a metallic barrier to wall off the presidential palace ahead of a planned women's march on International Women's Day was to avoid provocation and protect historic buildings from vandalism.

In a country where femicides rose nearly 130% between 2015 and 2020, critics said the decision to erect the 10-foot-high (3-meter) barriers was symptomatic of Lopez Obrador's apathy toward the crisis of violence afflicting women.