Demonstrations | There is chaos in Peru – a historic building burned to the ground

Foreign countries|Demonstrations

In Peru the protests, which have already been going on for a month and a half, have thrown the whole country into chaos. According to Reuters, on Friday evening, police and protesters clashed again in the country’s capital, Lima.

Police used tear gas to quell protesters who threw bottles and stones. According to Reuters, there were also several fires raging on the streets of Lima and buildings in the city have also been destroyed in fires suspected to have been started by protesters.

On Thursday evening, one of the city’s most historically significant buildings caught fire and was completely destroyed. The burned building was an almost hundred-year-old mansion in the center of Lima. According to the authorities, its destruction was a great loss. The cause of the fire is being investigated.

Protesters have set fires in the streets of Lima. Picture: ANGELA PONCE / Reuters

of Cusco in turn, a copper mine in the region was closed on Friday for the third time this month after protesters invaded its territory. The country’s tourism has also suffered, as states of emergency have been declared in six regions to curb the protests. Among other things, airports have been closed and train services have been interrupted.

Access to Machu Picchu, popular with tourists, has been cut off several times. On Friday, at least 300 people were trapped near the Inca city.

“Worldwide chaos, you can’t live like this. We are in terrible uncertainty – the economy and vandalism”, a resident of Lima Leonardo Rojas commented in frustration, according to Reuters.

At least 45 people have died in the past month and a half in clashes between protesters and the police. Picture: Ernesto Benavides / Magazine photo

Picket oppose the country’s new president Dina Boluartea and demand new elections. The demonstrations started in December, kunex president Pedro Castillo deposed and imprisoned. At least 45 people have already died in the protests.

President Boluearte has so far ignored the protesters’ demands and refused to resign. Instead, he has vowed that those involved in the unrest will be punished.

– The severity of the law falls on all those who have participated in vandalism, the president said on Thursday.

Peruvians have criticized Boluarte for not taking enough steps to curb the protests. Human rights organizations, on the other hand, have criticized the Peruvian police and army for the use of weapons. According to the police, the protesters have also used weapons and homemade explosives.