Dozens of protesters were injured in Peru after overnight clashes with police during anti-government demonstrations that have spread across the country. The Guardian reports on it. In the capital, Lima, police officers used tear gas to repel protesters who threw glass bottles and rocks, while several fires broke out, TV footage showed.
In the southern Puno region, around 1,500 protesters attacked a police station in the city of Ilave, Interior Minister Vicente Romero said. Ilave health officials reported that eight patients were hospitalized with injuries, including broken arms and legs, bruises on the eyes and punctured abdominal muscles. As of yesterday afternoon, 58 people have been injured in demonstrations across the country, according to a report by the Peruvian Ombudsman.
The unrest followed a day of unrest on Thursday when one of Lima’s oldest buildings was torched as President Dina Boluarte vowed to crack down on “vandals”. The destruction of the building, a centuries-old mansion in central Lima, was described by officials as the loss of a “monumental asset”. The protests began in December against the overthrow of former President Pedro Castillo, amid allegations of treason against socialism against the new head of state. The protesters are demanding Boluarte’s resignation, new elections and the release of Castillo, who was deposed by impeachment and jailed in the rebellion after an attempted coup. The latest toll counts 52 casualties since the protests began, including a police officer burned alive.
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