Mexican Journalist Assaulted After Exposing Cameras Inside Women’s Bathroom in Mexico City’s Shopping Plaza

A Mexican journalist was targeted, assaulted, and had her equipment broken after she exposed a series of video cameras inside the women’s bathroom in a popular Mexico City shopping center.

The assault occurred Friday evening when Mexican journalist Stephanie Palacios went back to a shopping plaza right outside of the San Cosme Metro Station in the Cuahutemoc borough of  Mexico City. The journalist returned to the scene to record and photograph a series of cameras that she previously reported on.

Earlier this week, Palacios reported on the cameras inside the women’s restroom at the popular shopping center. The bathrooms are public, and the owners charge $7 pesos for their use. In her report, Palacios asked how the city could allow recording devices in the women’s restrooms and why steps had not been taken to shut them down.

However, the local mayor, Alessandra Rojo de la Vega, was quick to deny the claim, stating that those bathrooms were not in her borough and that Palacios’s work was misinformation. Rojo de la Vega posted photographs of another bathroom, trying to distance herself from the situation.

On Friday evening, Palacios and one more journalist went to the shopping center to gather additional video and photo evidence for their report. However, a mob rapidly surrounded them and began assaulting them. One heavyset woman leading the mob went for Palacios’ phone and recording device and broke them.

The journalists called 911, and while police did respond to the scene, they did not arrest anyone and did not bring the woman who led the assault in for questioning.

Palacios had to be taken to a local hospital due to the injuries sustained in the assault. She is one of the many journalists who are under a Mexican journalists’ protection program after having been previously targeted for their work. Local journalists who spoke with Breitbart News revealed that authorities have been trying to cover up the case.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with the Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..