And in Mexico City, a giant Mexican flag was lowered to half-mast in the capital city’s main Zócalo square Tuesday to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Tlatelolco massacre. It was October 2, 1968, when hundreds of students were gunned down by soldiers as they held peaceful protests on the eve of the Mexico City Olympic Games. This is Mexican President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador speaking at a ceremony commemorating the anniversary.

President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador: “We guarantee that force will never be used again to resolve conflicts, differences and social protests. That’s the oath we make: to not make use of force, to not repress the people.”

Just last week, a Mexican government official admitted for the first time that the massacre amounted to a “state crime,” though no one has ever been prosecuted for the killings. This is Tlatelolco massacre survivor Juan Ávila Arreaga, one of tens of thousands who marched from Tlatelolco plaza on Tuesday.

Juan Ávila Arreaga: “My name is Juan Ávila Arreaga. I am 67 years old, and today I came here because 50 years have passed since the soldiers opened fire on us. There were women, there were children, and I would like to speak about the young people, especially the students, who were gunned down in 1968. The only thing that we had requested of the government was a public dialogue. This was the most important thing. Now, in 2018, once again young people and students are being disappeared and burned.”

Arreaga was referring to the 43 students who vanished from the Ayotzinapa teachers’ school in 2014 after they were attacked by local police. President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador has promised to create a truth commission to investigate the Ayotzinapa disappearances.