Mexico's president defends decision to barricade palace ahead of women's march

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrado claims the measure is only intended to avoid provocation

The Mexican president has claimed that a metallic barrier to wall off the presidential palace ahead of a planned women's march is intended 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 three-metre-high (10ft) barriers was symptomatic of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's apathy toward the crisis of violence against women.