“One or two strikes will not solve the problem,” said President Dina Boluarte on the eve of the third major protest measure that, in less than a month, has been taken by thousands of Peruvians frightened by the collection of quotas or extortion and the hitman. The Government has even taken tanks to the streets this Thursday to dissuade protesters, cornered by the advance of organized crime. It is no longer just the transport companies, but also other unions surrounded by the mafias, such as merchants as a whole, from the butchers in the markets to those who sell polos and pants in the galleries. They are joined by university unions, unions, social groups and the relatives of those who lost their lives during the protests at the beginning of Boluarte’s mandate.
Unlike the previous strikes, this last one was national, especially in the coastal and central and southern mountain regions. Not in all cases the transport unions stopped their activities, in some cities marches or sit-ins were held. Be that as it may, it was a demonstration of a generalized rejection that is clearly perceived in the statistics, where 92% of Peruvians disapprove of President Boluarte’s management, according to the latest survey by Datum International.
After not speaking to the press for 104 days, on Tuesday the lawyer decided to stop being silent, but instead of providing a conciliatory message, she downplayed the strike and argued with journalists, avoiding their questions. “Don’t be surprised how what happened in December 2022 and January and February 2023, which wanted to put the country in a total disaster. (…) Let’s not echo hate,” he said.
On the other hand, Boluarte blamed the Venezuelan community for the increase in crime. “To the foreign criminals who are in our country, we tell them, we will throw them out of the national territory, we are not going to allow them to stay another day in our territory,” he said. A supreme decree has just been published where from now on, accommodations and landlords will have the obligation to report to the National Superintendency of Migration to whom they rent their property. Venezuelan citizens must prove their employment and rental contract or they will be fined.
In Lima, protesters filled several sections of the Panamericana Norte on their long road to Congress. Others gathered directly in the Plaza Dos de Mayo, in the Center of Lima. To counter the strike there was not only a large police deployment that included the reinforcement of troops from various regions, but also the use of war tanks that frightened the population. “Look at how many police officers, but when they kill us they don’t exist. They are useless,” claimed one protester. Thirteen thousand police officers and four thousand soldiers guarded the Historic Center.
A majority of people criticize that in each strike the Executive has displayed its military and police power, but that this display has no effect against criminal organizations. In fact, in the middle of a state of emergency, a motorcycle taxi driver was shot in the Las Lomas market in the Villa El Salvador district south of Lima. A hitman shot him aboard a linear motorcycle and then fled. The victim, Ángel Flores Canales, was taken to the hospital, but died due to the severity of his injuries.
Incidents like these are repeated daily. Not even the schools have been able to escape the mafias. Last week a teacher was shot in front of his students in the Ate district. According to the Association of Early Education Promoters (APEIP), around 250 private schools are extorted. They ask for quotas that exceed five thousand dollars. By the way, schools and universities suspended their in-person classes. Social Health Security was also affected and had to reschedule appointments.
Regarding the protest, during the afternoon the mob was stationed in front of Congress, on Abancay Avenue, but a police cordon prevented them from continuing to advance. “(Insecurity) has not originated in this government, but it has gotten worse,” cried Susana Saldaña, the president of the Gamarra commercial emporium. The protesters’ requests were the repeal of the organized crime law, as well as the resignation of the Minister of the Interior, Juan José Santiváñez, whose authority has been undermined by the false capture of a terrorist leader who twenty years ago had served his sentence and I did not have any current requirements. But the voices shouted with more fervor, calling for the departure of Dina Boluarte, Pedro Castillo’s successor who has entrenched herself in the Palace. At the end of the day, 26 protesters were arrested. This is the march that has brought together the most actors, including artists. And although the measure of force will cease for now, the unions have indicated that the strike will continue in the coming weeks.
