Truth will set you Free
Nadia Stephen Publisher
AP 20 Jan 2023
Thousands of protesters poured into Peru’s capital Thursday, clashing with police amid tear gas and smoke and demanding the ouster of President Dina Boluarte. Many came from remote Andean regions, where 55 people have died amid unrest since Peru’s first president from a rural Andean background was removed from office last month.
The protests have seen Peru’s worst political violence in more than two decades and highlighted deep divisions between the country’s urban elite, largely concentrated in Lima, and poor rural areas. Former President Eduardo Castillo has been in detention and expected to be tried for rebellion since was impeached after a failed attempt to dissolve Congress.
The day was mostly quiet, punctuated by clashes and tear gas. The government called on everyone who could to work from home. After sundown, clashes escalated, and late Thursday night, a major fire broke out at a building near the historic Plaza San Martin, although no connection to the protests was immediately clear.
Anger at Boluarte was the common thread Thursday as protesters chanted calls for her resignation and street sellers hawked T-shirts saying, “Out, Dina Boluarte,” “Dina murderer, Peru repudiates you,” and “New elections, let them all leave.”