Clashes broke out between protesters and law enforcement.
Thousands of Peruvians from different corners of the country and the capital gathered this Saturday in the historic center of Lima, in a new anti-government march in which clashes broke out between protesters and law enforcement.
The march began around 4:00 p.m. (9:00 p.m. GMT) from the central Plaza Dos de Mayo, where several groups of protesters arrived, some of whom had left in the morning from various neighborhoods on the outskirts of the capital. .
Dressed in national flags, some of them with black stripes instead of red as a sign of mourning, and those on the front line wearing shields and protective helmets, the protesters toured the main streets of downtown Lima with chants and banners demanding the resignation of President Dina Boluarte, the advancement of elections to 2023 and the call for a constituent assembly.
As usual, the crowd walked along the Alfonso Ugarte, Bolognesi and Grau avenues until they reached Abancay, which leads to the Congress and was guarded by a strong police contingent that prevented the protesters from passing.
During the first hours, the march took place peacefully and without incident, unlike the call last Saturday, when the last death of a protester occurred in clashes with the forces of order in Lima, the first fatality of the protests in the capital.
Around 7:00 p.m., however, the Police began firing tear gas to push the protesters back from some crossroads, who threw stones and fireworks at the officers.
In other parts of the country, the Ombudsman’s Office registered mobilizations and roadblocks in 24 provinces, which is equivalent to 12.2% of the national territory.
The protests in Peru began last December, after Boluarte assumed the Presidency by constitutional succession, after the dismissal of Pedro Castillo for trying to close the Legislative, intervene in the judiciary and govern by decree.
Since then, according to data from the Ombudsman’s Office, 47 demonstrators who participated in the protests have died as a result of clashes, while a policeman died after being burned alive by a mob.
Added to these victims are eleven deaths in events related to roadblocks, according to data from the Ombudsman’s Office, as well as a woman who died in the northern region of La Libertad, confirmed by the Police.
Likewise, President Boluarte announced the death of another patient who needed to reach Lima but was held up in the blockades, and they are joined by seven Haitians whose death has been confirmed by Acnur and an unborn baby confirmed by Unicef.
EFE