LIMA (Reuters) – Dozens of Peruvians were injured on January 20 after tensions rose again in clashes between police and protesters during anti-government protests across Peru.
In the capital, Lima, police used tear gas to repel demonstrators who threw glass bottles and rocks in a street shown by footage on local television.
Interior Minister Vicente Romero said in a statement to news media that about 1,500 protesters attacked a police station in the city of Irabe in Puno region in the south of the country.
Health officials in Ilave reported that eight patients were taken to hospital with injuries including broken arms and legs, bruised eyes and punctures in the abdominal cavity.
By late afternoon, 58 people had been injured nationwide in demonstrations, according to a report from Peru’s ombudsman.
The unrest followed a day of turmoil in Thursday, when one of Lima’s most historic buildings burned to the ground, as President Dina Boluarte vowed to get tougher on “vandals.”
The destruction of the building, a near-century-old mansion in central Lima, was described by officials as the loss of a “monumental asset.” Authorities are investigating the causes.
Romero on Friday claimed the blaze was “duly planned and arranged.”
Thousands of protesters descended on Lima this week calling for change and angered by the protests’ mounting death toll, which officially stood at 45 on Friday.
Protests have rocked Peru since President Pedro Castillo was ousted in December after he tried to dissolve parliament to avoid an impeachment trial.
Until this week, riots were concentrated in southern Peru.
In the Cusco region, Glencore’s main Antapaccai copper mine (GLEN.L) shut down on Friday. That’s because protesters have attacked one of the country’s largest copper mines three times this month.
Airports in Arequipa, Cusco and the southern city of Juliaca were also attacked by protesters, inflicting another blow on Peru’s tourism industry.
“I can’t live in a state of national chaos. We are in great uncertainty – the economy, the vandalism,” said Leonardo Rojas of Lima.
The government has extended the state of emergency to his six regions and restricted some citizenships.
But Boruarte rejected calls for his resignation and early elections, instead calling for dialogue and promising to punish those involved in the unrest.
“The full stringency of the law will apply to those who commit vandalism,” Boruarte said Thursday.
Some locals blamed Boruarte, who accused him of doing nothing to quell the protests that broke out on March 12. 7 following Castillo’s fall and arrest.Human rights groups have accused the police and military of using deadly firearms.
