In Guatemala, violent demonstrations against the Conservative government have ended with some forty arrested and dozens injured. Among other things, the protesters set fire to parts of the congress building and the president promised the law the harshest punishment.
The spark for yesterday’s protests in Guatemala is the new budget for next year. It is the largest to date in the country, but critics point out that the budget cuts resources for, among other things, healthcare and primarily benefits large companies.
This in a country where six out of ten live in poverty and are among the countries in the world with the greatest inequality and the highest crime.
The protesters also believe that the government cut through the budget, as not all members of Congress were allowed to read it before the vote.
The most dramatic event in the picture yesterday was the occupation of the almost 90-year-old congress building. The few who managed to get in set fire to parts of the building and then you could see the flames penetrating through the windows.
After only a few minutes, they were driven out by the police.
The protesters carried placards with slogans such as End of Corruption, Out with the President and They Drive with the Wrong Generation.
The last, an expression of a phenomenon that is repeated throughout Latin America, young people who have grown tired of corruption and how their countries have been governed for decades. The crisis in Guatemala has reached the very top of the Conservative government.
The vice president has demanded the resignation of President Alejandro Giammattei, who has been in power since January this year.
Giammattei has not responded to that demand, he has instead gone out and said that those who were behind the fire in the congress building should receive the law’s most severe punishment.
Source: ICELAND NEWS