Status: 01/20/2023 07:34 a.m
Serious riots broke out in Peru during new anti-government demonstrations, and a major fire broke out in the capital, Lima. The anger of the protesters is directed primarily against Head of State Boluarte.
During protests against the Peruvian government, demonstrators and police officers in the capital Lima have fought serious clashes. The government opponents threw stones and firecrackers at the police officers, the officers fired tear gas into the crowd, as was seen on television.
According to a report by radio station RPP, the demonstrators tried to penetrate the congress. Several people were injured in the clashes. In the center of Lima, a building went up in flames. More than 25 fire brigade units are on duty to prevent the fire from spreading to neighboring houses, fire brigade commander Mario Casaretto told RPP. The fire was “out of control,” it said. It was initially not known whether there was a connection with the protests.
Demonstrators are demanding the resignation of the head of state
The protests are directed against the government of interim President Dina Boluarte. In a speech in the evening, she called on the protesters to engage in dialogue and announced the consequences for those “who want to create chaos and disorder”.
The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of the head of state, the dissolution of the congress and the release of the imprisoned ex-president Pedro Castillo. The former village school teacher wanted to forestall a vote of no confidence in December and dissolved the congress. Parliament then removed him from office. He was arrested on charges of an attempted coup and is in custody.
The protests in Peru, here in the capital Lima, are primarily directed against the head of state, Dina Boluarte.
Image: AP
There have been protests across the country for weeks
Thousands of people came to Lima on Thursday under the motto “Toma de Lima” (take of Lima), mainly from southern Peru. “We want Dina Boluarte to go, she lied to us,” the AP news agency quoted farmer Samuel Acero, who heads a regional protest committee for the Andean city of Cusco, as saying.
Anger at the new head of state is a common thread running through the protests. Street vendors sold T-shirts that ranted against Boluarte. By early afternoon, protesters had turned key downtown streets into huge pedestrian zones.
There were also violent protests in other parts of the South American country. In the city of Arequipa, one person died and ten others were injured, according to the state ombudsman’s office. Dozens of people have died in Peru since the protests began in December.