The demonstration called in the center of Lima this Tuesday against the curfew decreed by the President of Peru, Pedro Castillo, led to the attack on a headquarters of the Judiciary and violent altercations that caused injuries and destruction in the center of the capital.
The peaceful march that called for the end of the curfew (ordered to stop a strike by carriers) and of Castillo’s management ended with Abancay Avenue, near Parliament, turned into a battlefield that pitted protesters against the National Police of Peru (PNP).
The president of the Supreme Court and of the Judicial Power of Peru, Elvia Barrios, confirmed on Canal N that the The doors of the Superior Court of Justice of the capital were smashed by the demonstrators who also tried to set fire to part of the furniture.
After destroying the facade of the judicial institution, it was looted and some assailants took computers, computer equipment and documents, as Efe was able to verify.
During the march, part of the protesters tried to reach the Government Palace, access blocked by the Police, which caused the first moments of tension between the two parties that led to the launching of tear gas bombs by the agents, which was responded by throwing stones at the police and even at the press.
The forces of order did not intervene in some of the altercations, such as to put out the bonfires and fires of urban furniture consumed by some protesters, but they approached, hands raised, to ask the violent ones to stop their attitude.
???? ATTENTION!!! Exclusive images after the looting in the Superior Court of Justice of Lima by groups of vandals. The security personnel, who are not armed, had to put themselves in a safe place for their safety. pic.twitter.com/2aUkABV7Ts
– Find out Peru (@informateperu) April 6, 2022
The Police, whose inaction was evident at times, were unsuccessful in their attempts at dialogue and the most violent demonstrators continued to attack buildings in the area.
The Minister of the Interior, Alfonso Chávarry, reported on the state television channel Perú TV that four police officers were injured after clashes with protesters and that they were taken to hospital.
In addition, he rejected the violent acts of some people who, according to his version, infiltrated the protests in Lima.
After experiencing the tense atmosphere, the peaceful protest moved to the place of origin, Plaza San Martín, where thousands of people remained until night and demanded that Castillo end his term.
But at the end of the day, the assailants arrived at the aforementioned plaza and broke the windows of the Continental Bank of Peru, looted a supermarket and, as Efe could corroborate, took bottles of liquor.
This is the first looting in Lima in the eight days that the transport strike lasts, since during the week minor assaults were recorded in other regions of the country such as Ica or Trujillo.
They are also the first violent acts since the beginning of the protest that, until now, had had practically no echo in the capital or in its neighboring province of Callao.
Until this Tuesday, the strike had caused punctual and brief cuts on roads far from the capital, despite which, Castillo decided shortly before midnight on Monday to decree a curfew in Lima and Callao.