Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/ LIMA: Thousands of people protested in Peru, several from the country’s heavily indigenous south, descended on Lima, the capital, angered by a swelling death toll since unrest spread last month and calling for a sweeping change.
Local Police estimated the march at around 3,500 citizens, but others speculated it attracted more than double that. Rows of Lima police in riot gear faced off against rock-hurling protesters on Lima streets as one historic building in city’s historic center caught fire.
Capital building
Firefighter command said that the building on San Martin Plaza was almost empty when the massive blaze ignited from unknown causes.
Canada-based miner Hudbay said that protesters had entered the site of its Peru unit, damaging and burning essential machinery, buildings and vehicles.
Prime Minister Alberto Otarola said that this had not been a protest; this had been a sabotage of the rule of law alongside President Dina Boluarte and other government ministers.
Interior Minister Vicente Romero said that disputed claims are circulating on social media about the Lima blaze caused by a police officer’s tear gas grenade.
Over the month, raucous and sometimes deadly protests have led to the violence Peru has seen in more than two decades. Many in rural regions vent anger at the Lima establishment over inequality and rising prices.
Protesters have demanded the resignation of Boluarte, snap elections, and a fresh constitution to replace the market-friendly, the one dating back to the days of right-wing strongman, Alberto Fujimori in the 1990s.
