Protest marches have been held in more than 20 cities across Mexico against the drug-related violence sweeping¹ the country.

墨西哥国内20多个城市的民众举行游行示威，抗议国内不断发生的与毒品相关的暴力事件。

Thousands of people joined the protest in the main square in Mexico City, chanting "no more blood".

Some called for President Felipe Calderon to resign, saying his strategy had exacerbated²（加重，恶化） the bloodshed.

As the marches got under way, at least 59 bodies were found in a mass grave in Tamaulipas state.

Around 35,000 Mexicans have died in drug-related violence since President Felipe Calderon began deploying³ the army to fight the the cartels in December 2006.

The demonstrations⁴ were inspired by the poet and journalist Javier Sicilia, whose son was killed last week.

Mr Sicilia has blamed Mexican politicians as well as criminal gangs for the violence, saying they have "torn apart the fabric⁵ of the nation".

Small demonstrations were also held in New York, Buenos Aires, Paris, Madrid and other cities around the world.

Pain

Javier Sicilia called for the protests after his 24-year-old son, Juan Francisco, was found dead inside a car along with six other people in the city of Cuernavaca last week.

In an open letter to Mexico's politicians and criminals published in Proceso, he said President Calderon's campaign against the drugs gangs was "badly planned, badly carried out and badly led".

"The citizenry has lost confidence in its governors, its police, its army, and is afraid and in pain".

Mr Sicilia also condemned⁶ the criminals as "subhuman, demonic（有魔力的） and imbecilic（蠢笨的） ".

"We have had it up to here with your violence, your loss of honour, your cruelty and senselessness," he wrote.

Before joining the demonstrations, Mr Sicilia met President Calderon in Mexico City.

He said the president offered his condolences（慰问，哀悼） and briefed him on efforts to find his son's killers⁷.