Nationwide protests hit Peru

Tensions rose as tens of thousands of protestors took to the streets in Peru during a 24-hour national strike. Their ire stemmed from the government’s economic policies which they argued were insufficient to reduce poverty despite an economic boom.

The government declared the strike as illegal and claimed that 93% of the country’s workforce made it in for work. Yet the unions which organized the strike had declared it a success:

Marchers in Lima, the capital, carried signs urging Garcia to quit and calling him "right-wing" and a "traitor"…

"This is a government of the rich and of multinational corporations," said Mario Huaman, the leader of Peru's largest labor confederation. "The economic model must change ... people need higher wages."

Yesterday’s rallies coincided with a two-day farmer’s strike; farmers demanded that President Alan Garcia do more towards combating the rising cost of living in Peru. Copper prices grew earlier this month during a miners strike.

Image- BBC News

Sources- Reuters, Living in Peru, BBC News, Bloomberg,