LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Peru’s congress on Wednesday voted down another bid to advance elections from April 2024 to this year, a move sought by President Dina Boluarte to calm unrest that has left dozens dead in seven weeks of anti-government protests. After five hours of debate, lawmakers rejected a bill that would have advanced elections to December by 68 votes to 54, with two abstentions. Peru has been embroiled in a political crisis with […]
Tag: Demonstration
Brazil rioters trash priceless artwork in stormed capital buildings
by Louis GENOT Agence France-Presse BRASÍLIA, Brazil (AFP) — Slashed canvas on a modern masterpiece, graffiti spray-painted on statues, a smashed Louis XIV clock: the horde of supporters of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro who invaded Brasilia’s hubs of power at the weekend ransacked everything in their path, including priceless works of art. The three vandalized buildings — the presidential palace known as the Planalto, the Supreme Court and Congress — are themselves treasures of […]
Twelve dead in Peru clashes between protesters and security forces: ombudsman
LIMA, Peru (AFP) — At least 12 people died Monday in Peru as anti-government protesters trying to overrun an airport clashed with security forces, officials said. The violence took place in the southeastern city of Juliaca, in the Puno region, an official in the local ombudsman’s office told AFP. The office gave an earlier death toll of nine. The protesters were demanding the departure of President Dina Boluarte, who took over after the ouster and […]
Brazil patrols government buildings retaken from rioting Bolsonaro supporters
BRASÍLIA, Brazil (AFP) — Brazilian security forces locked down the area around Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court Monday, a day after supporters of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the seat of power in riots that triggered an international outcry. In stunning scenes reminiscent of the January 6, 2021 invasion of the US Capitol building by supporters of then-president Donald Trump, backers of Bolsonaro broke through police cordons and overran the seats of power […]
Police, protesters clash as Bangkok hosts summit
Bangkok, Thailand | AFP | Thai police fired rubber bullets Friday in clashes with dozens of protesters trying to march to the venue of an Asia-Pacific summit in Bangkok. Around 50 people demonstrating against the event and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha threw rocks, bottles and broken glass during half an hour of scuffles with hundreds of riot police. The incident took place near the Thai capital’s Democracy Monument, around eight kilometres (five miles) from […]
Moscow warns Russians against joining anti-war protests
Russian authorities on Thursday warned anti-war sympathisers from gathering for protests after President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine. The Investigative Committee, a government body that investigates major crimes, warned Russians of legal repercussions for joining unsanctioned protests related to “the tense foreign political situation”. It said it was responding to social media calls to protest against Putin’s decision to attack Ukraine. “One should be aware of the negative legal consequences of these […]
Riot police clash with New Zealand anti-vax protesters
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) – New Zealand anti-vaccine protesters pelted police with a “stinging substance” sending three to hospital with injuries Tuesday, as tensions spilled over in an angry weeks-long protest. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern decried “absolutely disgraceful” scenes after the suspected acid attack, and a startling incident that saw one protester speed a car toward police lines before coming to a quick halt just centimetres away. The brief but intense confrontations erupted near New […]
Hundreds rally for Ukraine at Warsaw demo
WARSAW, Poland (AFP) — Hundreds of people rallied in the Old Town in central Warsaw on Sunday in solidarity with neighbouring Ukraine against what they called “Russian aggression”. Participants waved Ukrainian, Polish and EU flags as well as the standard used by the Belarusian opposition. “We Are With Ukraine,” read one placard held up at the demonstration. Another said: “Hands Off Ukraine.” “Putin on trial!” the crowd chanted. Organisers said in a statement that the […]
New Zealand virus cases spike as anti-vaccine protesters claim win
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) – New Zealand Covid-19 infections reached a record high Wednesday as anti-vaccine protesters claimed victory after police failed to clear vehicles blocking the streets around parliament. Health authorities reported 1,160 new coronavirus cases, the most since the pandemic began, as the Omicron variant continues to spread in a country that was largely virus-free until August. While there have only been 53 virus deaths in the nation of five million, some protesters […]
Thousands of Salvadorans protest against corruption
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AFP) — Thousands of people protested Sunday in El Salvador’s capital against corruption and what they see as a drift towards authoritarianism, days after the United States announced sanctions against a close aide of President Nayib Bukele. Bukele has drawn criticism for making bitcoin legal tender in the country, suggesting the volatile cryptocurrency will help revitalize its struggling economy, and for legal reforms which critics say are attacks on the independence […]
Thousands block roads in Serbia to protest mining project
BELGRADE, Serbia (AFP) – Thousands of demonstrators blocked major roads across Serbia Saturday as anger swelled over a government-backed plan to allow mining giant Rio Tinto to extract lithium from the Balkan nation. In the capital Belgrade, protesters swarmed a major highway and bridge linking the city to outlying suburbs as the crowd chanted anti-government slogans while some held signs criticising the mining project. Smaller protests were held in other Serbian cities, with small scuffles […]
34,000 protest in Greece on anti-junta revolt anniversary
ATHENS, Greece (AFP) – Tens of thousands of people joined protests in Greece’s two largest cities on Wednesday, marking the anniversary of a 1973 student revolt against a US-backed junta, an annual event that often sparks violence. Twenty thousand turned out in the capital Athens, according to police. Most of the marchers were students, unionists and members of leftist parties. A further 14,000 marched in the second city Thessaloniki. Police were deployed in their thousands […]





