The inhabitants of Lima and the neighboring port of Callao experienced scenes of chaos and confusion on Tuesday after, at the stroke of midnight on Monday, the President Pedro Castillo decreed a state of emergency and a curfew in these two provinces as a measure to stop the protests that have been taking place in the country for a week due to the strike of transporters who rejected the increase in fuel prices.
(Read here: Demonstrations in Lima ended in violent riots)
However, thousands ignored the order and took to the streets to protest against the Peruvian president and demand his resignation. By Tuesday night, and despite the fact that the president removed his order seven hours earlier than expected, Lima faced destruction and confrontations.
The day earned him multiple criticisms from many of the country’s politicians, including several of his closest allies, while thousands of citizens challenged his authority in the streets of the capital.
The The curfew announcement came just a week after Castillo, a 52-year-old rural teacher, was saved from impeachment by Congress.where radical opponents accuse him of “lack of direction” and allowing corruption in his environment.
With disapproval reaching 66 percent, according to an Ipsos poll from March, Pedro Castillo faces a dark panorama that seems to corner him more and more and suffocate his governability.
According to government reports, four people died as a result of the protests in Junín, while 22 people were detained and some 25
Police officers were injured in clashes with demonstrators who were protesting in Lima and caused damage to the Palace of Justice and the national headquarters of the Prosecutor’s Office.
What happened in Peru for a curfew to be decreed?
The order, which affected some 11 million Peruvians for more than fifteen hours and caused an estimated economic loss of 270 million dollars, according to the employer’s association, stunned thousands of citizens who, as the day progressed, went from bewilderment to indignation.
The curfew in Lima and Callao came into force this Tuesday, as well as the declaration of a state of emergency, in response to a strike of carriers that began eight days ago and caused the death of at least four people, although none of them due to clashes.
The order, which was applied in these two provinces that were practically not affected by the strike, responded to the need to “give urgent and extraordinary responses” to intelligence reports that supposedly “announced a series of acts of vandalism” in the capital, according to Justice Minister Félix Chero.
But, in the eyes of many, it was more of an “unconstitutional” measure that sparked criticism not only from Castillo’s political opponents but also from some former allies, such as the progressive leader Verónika Mendoza, who called the curfew “arbitrary and disproportionate”.
“The government has not only betrayed its promises of change, but now it repeats the method of ‘conflict resolution’ of the right: ignore those who mobilize with legitimate discomfort due to the economic and political situation, repress, criminalize and restrict rights” Mendoza wrote on Twitter.
In the same sense, the former president of the second ministerial cabinet of
Castillo, Mirtha Vásquez, who described the measure as “authoritarian.” While they were issuing their criticisms and the afternoon demonstration in Lima was taking place, the protests of carriers for the increase in prices did not stop in the countryalthough -as in previous days- they have been partial and temporary with momentary cuts of the Pan-American highway that were controlled by the Police.
This is how the center of Lima is right now, a large number of people are still in the streets. Looks like this is going to go a long way. pic.twitter.com/32aoi1Qtaq
— Agustín Antonetti (@agusantonetti) April 6, 2022
Riots and clashes gripped Lima
The tension had its echo in social networks and in timid cacerolazos, but it worsened in the afternoon in the streets of the historic center of Lima, where thousands of people defied the curfew to demand the resignation of the ruler in a demonstration that led to strong disturbances and clashes with the police, which lasted well into the night.
Dressed in flags and white-red jerseys of the soccer team, the protesters chanted slogans such as “terrorism never again”, in the purest style of the marches led last year by supporters of three-time presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, during the polarized electoral campaign. which led to
Castle to power.
The spontaneous crowd failed in its attempt to reach the gates of Parliament, where the president held a meeting with legislators and announced that he was revoking the much-questioned curfew.
Castillo’s retraction, however, did little to quell the uproar in the vicinity of the Legislative Palace, which, shortly after, he toured sheltered by his school, and tempting his fate, the Minister of the Interior, Alfonso Chávarry.
The demonstration led to the attack on a headquarters of the Judiciary and violent altercations that caused injuries and destruction in the center of the capital.
After destroying the facade of the judicial institution, it was looted and some assailants took computers, computer equipment and documents.
The measures that seek to curb unemployment in Peru
Pedro Castillo approved by decree a 10 percent increase in the minimum wage after days of protests fueled by runaway inflation.
The increase from 930 to 1,025 soles, or about US$280, is the first approved in four years and follows a series of fiscal measures taken by the Administration of
Castillo to end days of protests led by farmers and truckers.
Inflation accelerated in March to its fastest pace in 24 years, with the strike likely to add to local food costs.
The decision to increase wages benefits more than 1.4 million people and will come into effect on May 1.
Finance Minister Oscar Graham and other ministers traveled to the heart of the protests in the central region of Junín, where they announced tax cuts on fuel and food.
The partial agreements with the protesters led to the temporary suspension of the strikealthough some roads continue to be blocked in the southern regions of the country.
Lima Peru. Pedro Castillo cancels the curfew. The people in the street in civil disobedience asking for his resignation. pic.twitter.com/mHpaKFKXnx
– Liliana Franco (@lilianaf523) April 5, 2022
The secrecy surrounding the decisions of Pedro Castillo
As revealed by the newspaper The country this was not the first time the president of Peru considered imposing a curfew in the capital, months before he would have considered it on behalf of the councils that a group formed by far-rightists of an authoritarian nature would be giving him and that, apparently, according to the media, they would be the only ones who have a direct dialogue with the president.
Castillo, who had to propose three different cabinets in the barely eight months he has been in office, has had to deal with the resignations of several of his ministers who insist that it is almost impossible to maintain an agenda with the rural teacher.
Now, a new adviser to the president, Henry Shimabukuro, a businessman close to the children of Alberto Fujimori, was hired by the National Intelligence Directoratebut according to The country It is known that he has a direct line with the Government Palace and for a couple of months he has been acting in practice as a counselor.
The Spanish newspaper reported that sources who were aware of the preparation of the message read by Castillo to report on the ban on going out, indicated that the text was written by Castillo, Shimabukuro, the new press officer Cristina Boyd (a communicator who met through his YouTube channel where he talked about conspiracy and strategy) and the secretary of the head of state.
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With information from Agencies
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