Mexican activists try to tear down the ‘illegal wall’ surrounding the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City

Mexicans’ refusal to pay for American walls also goes for the one surrounding the U.S. Embassy, according to a group of radical protesters.

Dozens of Mexican activists on Wednesday tried unsuccessfully to remove the metal barricades in front of the building, prompting police to make arrests.

The protest was led by Arne aus den Ruthen, a controversial former city district manager known for his Periscope activism. Aus den Ruthen argues the metal fences outside the embassy are an “illegal wall” that violates Mexico City’s street ordinances. He called on his group of supporters, known as the Brigada Anti-gandalla (Anti-Asshole Brigade), to tear it down.

“There’s a great wall built at the U.S. Embassy; an illegal wall,” aus den Ruthen said during his live Periscope transmission of the protest. “This is the American wall within Mexico City.”

The activists arrived at the embassy carrying ladders and wire cutters. But they didn’t get far.

Police moved in and arrests were made. Demonstrators argued with the cops and dispersed while filming the action on their cellphones, creating a publicity stunt which seemed to be their goal all along.

The protest comes a week after Donald Trump’s visit to Mexico City on invitation from President Enrique Peña Nieto. The Trump visit turned into a fiasco and a social media debate about whether Peña Nieto had discussed Trump’s wall and payment during their private meeting.

Arne aus den Ruthen and his Anti-Asshole Brigade have since been trolling the U.S. Embassy on Twitter.

The activists claim the embassy lacks valid permits for the metal barricades. The U.S. Embassy has not released a statement about the incident.