Solidarity with the people of Peru

After 200 years of exclusion, the 2021 elections placed the long-neglected demands of the vast majority on the public agenda of the incumbent government. Pedro Castillo—a teacher, union leader, and peasant—won the presidency as an expression of the urgent need for profound changes in Peru's political and economic structures. Faced with the possibility of disrupting the status quo that the far right sought to maintain, a series of initiatives in this regard were obstructed in the Congress of the Republic, including the call for a referendum on a new political constitution.

Three motions to impeach the president were debated in parliament until the parliamentary coup of December 7, 2022, ushered in a civic-military dictatorship. Its main allies are the mainstream media, the country's most powerful economic groups, the military and police forces, and far-right political parties. This event sparked a series of legitimate demonstrations demanding respect for the popular vote, a new constitution, and the resignation of the executive and legislative authorities. The response was the declaration of a state of emergency, a curfew in the most volatile regions of Peru, and the unleashing of excessive repression against the protests. However, the outrage only deepened. The regions continue to mobilize, while Lima receives thousands of protesters from across the country at its public universities and social organization headquarters, which have been raided and violently occupied by the National Police.

As a result of these conditions, more than 60 murders have been recorded, along with hundreds of injuries and the systematic violation of the fundamental rights of Peruvians exercising their legitimate right to protest. The violence unleashed by this government expresses the contempt, racism, and classism of the political elites toward the long-neglected demands of historically excluded Peruvians.

In this regard, we stand in solidarity with the people of Peru, we demand an end to the violence, respect for the right to protest, an end to the systematic violation of the fundamental rights of Peruvians, and the opening of a dialogue that allows Peru to decide its own destiny.

February 1th 2023
CLACSO Working Groups
Work in contemporary capitalism

This text expresses the position of the Working Group Work in contemporary capitalism and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.