Protests in Peru turn violent
At least one person was killed Wednesday in the Peruvian city of Puno after fresh clashes between anti-government protesters and police. The protests continued until Thursday. (Courtesy of Info Andes/Handout of the Peruvian Prosecutor’s Office via Reuters)
Protests on the streets of Peru have continued to grow as protesters continue to demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte and the return of her predecessor Pedro Castillo.
“We have criminal ministers, presidents who murder, and we live like animals in the midst of so much wealth that they steal from us every day,” said Samuel Acero, a farmer who heads a regional protest committee in the southeastern city of Cusco. he said as he walked through the center of Lima on Thursday morning.
“We want Dina Boluarte to leave. She lied to us.”
The video shows police firing tear gas canisters into a crowd of protesters, who kick or throw the canisters at the officers. Fires in apartments and vehicles light up the streets, with images showing burned cars and burning tires.
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Anti-government protesters who traveled to the capital from across the country to march against Peruvian President Dina Boluarte clash with police in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, January 18, 2023. The protesters seek immediate elections, Boluarte’s resignation, the release of the ousted President Pedro Castillo and justice for the dozens of protesters killed in clashes with the police.
(AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
Castillo dissolved the country’s congress in December and called new elections ahead of another attempt to remove him from office. He established a new emergency government and said he would make changes to the leadership of the judiciary, the police and the constitutional court.
The measure to expel Castillo referred to accusations of corruption, with six open investigations against him. Castillo’s actions, seen as an effort to preserve power, led Congress to remove him outright and replace him with Boluarte, his former vice president.
The appointment proved incredibly unpopular, as some voters see Castillo as “one of us,” while Boluarte remains distant and unknown to them.
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The protests have claimed 53 lives so far and remained focused on the Andes region of Peru, but continued to spread partly due to clashes with security forces.
An anti-government protester throws a tear gas canister at police during a march of protesters who traveled to the capital from across the country to protest against Peruvian President Dina Boluarte in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, January 18, 2023.
(AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
On Thursday afternoon at Arequipa’s Alfredo Rodríguez Ballón International Airport, hundreds of protesters gathered to call for Boluarte’s resignation. An estimated 40 protesters breached the airport perimeter, scaling a high metal fence, sparking a dramatic confrontation with police, who attempted to disperse the protesters with tear gas.
Protesters reportedly burned a shack and destroyed lighting equipment on the runway. The ousted Castillo remains a popular figure in the poor, rural south and highlands, where he received broad support in the last presidential election.
Protesters even retaliated by attacking and burning a police officer last week. José Luis Soncco Quispe, 29, was on patrol with a fellow officer in Juliaca, a city near the Bolivian border and Lake Titicaca, Monday night when they were attacked by a mob who then set their vehicle on fire, according to police reports.
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“We are at a breaking point between the dictatorship and democracy,” said Pedro Mamani, a student at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. Students shelter protesters who traveled to the Peruvian capital for the protest that is popularly known as the “take of Lima.”
A woman carries a Bible in front of a line of riot police during a march by anti-government protesters who traveled to the capital from across the country to protest against Peruvian President Dina Boluarte in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, January 18, 2023.
(AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
By taking the protest to Lima, the demonstrators hope to give new weight to the movement. The concentration of protesters in Lima also reflects how the capital has begun to see more anti-government demonstrations in recent days.
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A total of 11,800 police officers will be deployed throughout Lima, Víctor Zanabria, head of the police force there, told local media. He downplayed the size of the protests, saying he expected as many as 2,000 people to participate.
Fox News’ David Unsworth and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
