Protest violence escalates in Peru: An overview of recent events

For the last 7 weeks, Peru has gone through a major escalation of political violence, unwitnessed for decades, shining a spotlight on the deep divisions in the country that go back for years. Mass protests are happening in major cities, 56 people have died, airport blocks, and a nationwide state of emergency are shaking Peru’s society.

The turmoil has increasingly ravaged the country since December the 7th, and it is the result of a latent feeling of dissatisfaction towards government’s inaction, and the expanding social gap between the poor population and the elite. For instance, an April 2022 public opinion poll showed a 79 percent disapproval rating for Congress, with 76 percent rejecting Castillo’s government and 63 percent demanding his resignation.Castillo’s presidency was supposed to represent the rural communities and the poor neighbourhoods. However, his promises of providing better health care, education, jobs and welfare to the disadvantaged rural communities were not kept. The protests erupted when Castillo was ousted after an alleged coup attempt just hours before he was due to face his third impeachment vote. The day put an end to Castillo’s tumultuous 17 months in power, which has already seen five cabinets, more than 80 ministers, six criminal investigations and two failed attempts to impeach him. 

Dina Boluarte, the vice-president, was then sworn in as Peru’s first female head of state, with the attempt of calming and reunifying the country. However, protests have increased. The demonstrators, many of whom are Castillo supporters, are calling for her resignation and the scheduling of new general elections. According to an Institute of Peruvian Studies poll, fifty-eight per cent of Peruvians consider there were excesses on the part of the forces of law and order in the face of the protests, this month. The same survey indicated that 83% of those polled were in favour of bringing forward elections and just three in 10 Peruvians approved of Boluarte’s government.

The protests have emerged in the south of the country, and the President has responded with violence on the civilians. The outrage expanded to other areas in the Andes, and protests have increased in numbers, intensity and violence: 580 people are injured, more than 500 arrested. On the 21st of January, police raided the San Marcos University in Lima, smashing down the gates with an armoured vehicle, firing tear-gas and detaining more than 200 protesters. In a statement on Twitter, the office of the UN high commissioner for human rights called on the Peruvian authorities to “ensure the legality and proportionality of the [police] intervention and guarantees of due process”.

Nevertheless, Boluarte and her entourage are refusing to accept the protesters’ instances. Omar Coronel, a sociology professor at Peru’s Pontifical Catholic University, said Boluarte’s government has formed a tacit coalition with powerful far-right lawmakers who have portrayed the protesters as “terrorists”, a throwback to Peru’s internal conflict with the Shining Path in the 1980s and 90s. “The police force in Peru is used to treating protesters as terrorists,” said Coronel. “The logic is people who protest are enemies of the state.” By doing so, the Peruvian authorities are legitimising violence against its own citizens. Of the 56 victims, 45 have died in direct clashes with the police. A  victim’s relative :“We are part of this country. We want quality of life with good healthcare and education too. But when we raised our voice in protest asking them to respect our rights, they responded with blows and bullets”. Boluarte has apologised for the deaths but also insisted she will not resign, repeatedly blaming radical elements for stirring up the protests and coercing people into participating. She’s now calling for a truce, after protesters took the street of Peru’s capital, Lima.

What happens next? Analysts say it’s difficult to predict, but they don’t foresee better times for the country. As the Boluarte government resorts to tactics like these, the door to dialogue with peaceful protesters is closing. She has no consensus from the population, and it will be hard, if not impossible, to build it in light of the recent facts.

In the next weeks, we should keep an eye on:

• The evolution of political violence in Peru;

• The new possibilities of dialogue between the government and the demonstrators;

• The internal congress dynamics, which could potentially lead to Boluarte’s impeachment.