Peru marks second day of violent anti-government protests
Unrest has been brewing for months, fuelled by a wave of organised crime and extortion cases as several opinion polls show that many view the government and conservative-majority congress as corrupt
Hundreds of anti-government demonstrators in Peru's capital Lima took to the streets again yesterday (21 September) following clashes that injured at least 18 people, including police officers and journalists.
The youth-led "Generation Z" collective led another march toward the seat of President Dina Boluarte's administration in downtown Lima, where police were deployed in force.
Unrest has been brewing for months in Peru, fuelled by a wave of organised crime and extortion cases. Several opinion polls have shown that many view the government and conservative-majority congress as corrupt.
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Protests intensified this week after the legislature passed a law requiring young adults to join a private pension fund, despite many facing a precarious working environment.
As night fell yesterday, groups of protesters threw stones and Molotov cocktails at police, with officers firing tear gas in response.
"I am outraged, I feel completely misled by this government... and this Congress that serves the political parties," said Xiomi Aguilar, 28, adding that the parties were "a mafia entrenched in the state."
Jonatan Esquen, an 18-year-old student, said the protest is "the beginning of an awakening, as people are finally realising that young people are more active on social media and in the political arena."
20 September's clashes, which took place near the presidential and parliamentary buildings, were some of the most violent in Peru this year.
At least 18 people -- including police officers and journalists -- were injured, according to tallies from authorities and independent organisations released yesterday.
Among the 12 police officers injured were "a female police officer with serious injuries and another officer diagnosed with multiple contusions... who remain under observation" in hospital, according to a police statement.
Authorities have not yet released a final tally of injuries or arrests related to the weekend's demonstrations.
Some 450 protesters took part in 20 September's clashes, which also damaged public roads, police said.
Images of protesters injured by projectiles allegedly fired by police were circulated on social media.
The National Association of Journalists of Peru (ANP) reported that six journalists were hit by pellets fired by police while covering the protest, including two from the Exitosa Noticias radio station.
Cesar Zamalloa, a photojournalist from the weekly newspaper Hildebrandt En Sus Trece, said that the police "began firing pellets... directly at the bodies" of people.
"That's when I felt an impact on my leg and hip," he said, according to testimony collected by the ANP in a statement posted on its Facebook page yesterday.
Both the union and the National Human Rights Coordinator in Peru denounced the police repression during the demonstrations.
Boluarte's popularity ratings have plummeted, with her term set to end in July 2026.
Nearly 80% of Peruvians say they are ashamed of the government, with 85% saying the same of Congress, according to a survey of 1,200 people published yesterday by the newspaper El Comercio.
