Clashes in Lima left one dead and more than 100 injured during the night of Wednesday, October 15 to Thursday, October 16, after a large demonstration of young people to express their fed up with the political class and organized crime, according to a new report from the authorities.
Protests have been intensifying for a month in Peru. This Wednesday, thousands of people marched again in Lima, Arequipa (south), Cuzco (southeast) and Puno (southeast) to protest against the unprecedented number of murders and cases of extortion attributed to organized crime.
In Lima there were clashes between protesters and police that left one dead, identified on the social network
The National Human Rights Coordination, the main Peruvian NGO in the matter, stated that “the victim was shot which could have been the work of a plainclothes police officer.”
Furthermore, according to a report published in X by the Defender of Rights, 102 people presented themselves to the emergency services, “24 civilians and 78 police officers.”
Protesters in solidarity with “Generation Z”
The security crisis in Peru, which affects transportation with at least 47 bus drivers murdered since January, and other areas, precipitated the dismissal of President Dina Boluarte last Friday.
The president of the Peruvian Parliament, José Jeri, now assumes, until July 2026, the interim presidency of the country plagued by government instability.
After previous demonstrations, Wednesday’s mobilization, called before the surprise change of government, responded to the call of “Gen Z”, a movement of young protesters between 18 and 30 years old who gathered around the One Piece flag that they brandish in reference to the manga of the same name, the best-selling in the world, whose hero Luffy opposes the dominant groups.
Artist collectives and public transportation also called on people to take to the streets, after a crowded demonstration on October 7 that paralyzed Lima.
“There is general discontent because nothing has been done (…) by the State,” Amanda Meza, a 49-year-old self-employed worker, who is walking towards Congress, told AFP this Wednesday.
“Citizen insecurity, blackmail, sponsored murders (…) have increased considerably,” he listed, while the crowd chanted: “Not one more death!”
“José Jeri, president of Peru, rapist”
As night fell, some protesters tried to tear down the security barriers installed in front of Congress, an AFP journalist noted. The police dispersed them with tear gas and charged with shields and batons against the groups that threw stones and fireworks in their direction.
During the clashes, an agent’s face was bloodied by a thrown stone, according to images taken by AFP videojournalists. President José Jeri denounced the infiltration of the “peaceful” demonstration by “criminals who came to sow chaos” and assured that “the full rigor of the law will be applied against them.”
“Citizen expression in the streets is a right in the face of the lack of attention from the State for many years, however, we will not allow (…) violence as a means of action,” he also wrote.
On Wednesday, feminist organizations also participated in the march, mobilized against the new president, who was the subject of a rape complaint, dismissed in August by the prosecutor’s office.
The activists displayed a large Peruvian flag on which was written in black letters “José Jeri, president of Peru, rapist.”
This Thursday’s clashes bring the number of injured in the demonstrations in recent weeks to at least 176 people, including police, protesters and journalists, according to authorities and independent sources.
Source: BFM TV
