In a heated debate, Senate approves "Anti-Meme Law" and denies censorship; sends it to the Chamber of Deputies

After a heated debate and with the opposition's votes against, along with those of PVEM Senator Armando Melgar, the Senate of the Republic approved, with 72 votes in favor and 34 against, the reform to the Federal Law on Industrial Property, known as the "anti-meme law." The pro-government majority pushed an amendment intended to soften Article 403 bis and specifically establish the issue of intent (dolo). The bill was sent to the Chamber of Deputies to continue the legislative process. Manuel Huerta Ladrón de Guevara, president of the First Legislative Studies Commission, denied any attempt at censorship and emphasized that "criticism, satire, and public debate belong to a democracy, but impersonating an institution in order to deceive is another thing." His fellow Morena member Cuauhtémoc Ochoa stated that "no one here is going to jail, no one for making a meme. For there to be a crime, three things are needed: commercial scale, passing something off as official to deceive, and the intention to commit fraud. The famous 'anti-meme law' does not exist; it is a product of the opposition's great imagination," he pointed out. PRI, PAN, and MC announced their rejection of the bill and warned that the wording could create risks for journalists, cartoonists, content creators, and citizens who use official images for satirical or political criticism purposes. PAN Senator Lilly Téllez requested a "motion of illustration," so a portion of the parody of the German film "Downfall" was shown on the screens of the chamber, in which former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador appears in the role of Adolf Hitler, scolding the governors and officials closest to him. "How well satire portrays them when it paints them as what they are: corrupt, inept, clumsy on their own. But the worst is their association with criminals, their association with the cartels. I see that the narco-senator (Enrique) Inzunza has now run off again, and the narco-senator Adán Augusto López is also not here." Senator Lilly Téllez at a press conference of senators from the PAN parliamentary group, during their plenary meeting (08/31/2026). Photo: Fernanda Rojas/EL UNIVERSAL "We must not forget that these narco-senators are the ones who made the laws. Also that other narco-senator, the Cheap Monkey. These are the narco-politicians who make laws to punish anyone who criticizes Morena-narcos through a parody, a meme, or a caricature," she mocked. In response, Senator Gerardo Fernández Noroña of the National Regeneration Movement said he hopes that "the lackeys keep their stale sense of humor in the 2027 elections, when they will be exposed in their true minimal form." He added that the PAN members are hypocrites because they are the followers of Hitler, and recalled when former President Felipe Calderón "pressured the owners of MVS to take Carmen Aristegui off the air." Gerardo Fernández Noroña at the second report on legislative activities of Senator Luisa Cortés García, from Oaxaca. Photo: Especial During the debate, there was a clash between Senators Lilly Téllez and Ruth González Silva, who asked the PAN member to respect the figure of her husband, the governor of San Luis Potosí, Ricardo Gallardo, since moments earlier his face had been displayed on the screens of the chamber as part of a parody. The National Action Party senator responded by accusing the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico legislator and the state governor of being linked to organized crime. "Senator, you are not going to threaten me; you have no right to come here to the Senate to threaten me. Your threats are particularly serious, because you and your husband are associated with cartels in your state, and that is why—I repeat to you—they are particularly serious. "You are sitting there with that little smile, because you know that you and your husband have the support of very violent, very rich cartels, and you have the shamelessness to come threaten me with the support of the cartels that murder. So be careful, be careful, don't be cynical. Mexico knows that you and your husband are big-time corrupt." Minutes later, González Silva asked for the floor to announce that she will file a criminal complaint against Téllez for threats. "I only want it to be recorded in the Parliamentary Gazette that, in addition to being assaulted, I was singled out and threatened, and that at no point was there a threat from me toward anyone else. I was very respectful. I asked for respect for my family, I asked for respect for a state executive, and of course I will file the corresponding complaint." Ruth González Silva, senator of the Green Party, records her attendance before the start of the ordinary session of the Senate of the Republic (02/03/2026). Photo: Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro Citizen Movement Senator Alejandra Barrales denounced that the law is censorship disguised as the defense of copyright. "We have pointed out that, once again, we see the government and its legislative majority acting under this modus operandi: proposing a noble cause, such as the fight against piracy undoubtedly is, so that, along the way of this proposal, of this reform, they can continue taking control—in this case, of freedom of expression. And in Citizen Movement, since we learned the content of this reform, we have pointed to Article 403 bis of this proposal, of the industrial property law. We warned that precisely this would carry risks, because its wording implies putting freedom of expression at risk. "We have clearly said no. We have expressed our firm rejection of punishing with up to five years in prison and fines of up to one million pesos those who use the institutional graphics of governments for purposes of criticism, parody, and all these forms we know today through social media." She said that in Mexico, there is currently a clear dispute over control of the discourse and of what is said on social media and in the digital space. "In reality, what the majority wants, what Morena specifically wants, is to take control of what is said, what is commented on, what is seen, and what is heard online," she accused. Alejandra Barrales Magdaleno, deputy coordinator of Citizen Movement in the Senate of the Republic. Photo: Especial The coordinator of the Institutional Revolutionary Party senators, Manuel Añorve Baños, denounced the criminalization of political criticism with this initiative and pointed out that the fundamental question is very simple: "Who is going to decide when a parody stops being a parody and becomes an attempt to deceive? Who will determine when a political cartoon, a critical video, or a satirical piece crossed that line? In criminal matters there cannot be gray areas, much less when freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and our democracy are at stake," he emphasized. Manuel Añorve accused Morena of lying and distorting the labor rights of retirees. Photo: Archive CUARTOSCURO For the PAN, Senator María de Jesús Díaz Marmolejo stressed that this bill seeks to impose three to seven years in prison and fines of one thousand to ten thousand Units of Measure and Update (UMAs) on anyone who uses, reproduces, imitates, or incorporates the institutional graphic identity, electronic domains, or any official symbol belonging to public institutions. "From now on, we will be told what conduct must be carried out on a commercial scale and with the purpose of inducing error or deception. However, these expressions are not sufficient to eliminate the risk of arbitrary application. The criminal offense uses broad concepts, such as graphic identity, imitating any other official symbol, and commercial scale, but it does not expressly exclude parody, satire, political caricature, memes, journalistic work, artistic creation, academic research, or expressions of public interest. "When a person's freedom can depend on the interpretation of an investigating authority, we are not facing a sufficient guarantee. In criminal matters, the principle of exactitude must be strictly respected. Prohibited conduct must be defined in absolute clarity, especially when a sentence of up to seven years in prison is intended to be imposed. It is not enough for those promoting the reform to assure that only fraud will be prosecuted. This limitation must appear clearly in the law. Rights are not protected through good intentions, but through precise norms that prevent abuse," she warned. María de Jesús Díaz Marmolejo, known as "La Chuya," reaffirms her commitment to vote against AMLO's judicial reform. Photo: Especial You may be interested in: Intellectual Property Law seeks to prevent piracy, defends Sheinbaum; rejects meme ban "I hope it is not censorship in disguise": Manuel Rodríguez Ajenjo, president of Sogem, on the Anti-Meme Law Senate approves General Animal Welfare Law; sent to Deputies Join our channel! EL UNIVERSAL is now on WhatsApp! From your mobile device, find out the most relevant news of the day, opinion articles, entertainment, trends, and more. dft