Peruvian Plaza Protest

 

    Walking back to our hotel one evening, our group spotted a demonstration occurring in La Plaza de Armas. During this protest, a group of Peruvians marched around the plaza carrying a large Peruvian flag. The majority of these protestors also wore red and white clothing while carrying red and white signs, likely a symbol of national solidarity to match the flag. From reading the signs, we quickly realized that this demonstration was in defiance of Peru's president, Castillo. The sign in the photo says, "Castillo no es mi Presidente. Es un delincuente." Other messages condemned communism and promoted democracy. Several police officers watched over the protest, likely to prevent escalation. Furthermore, the protestors played instruments and chanted, which contributed to the theme of rallying together around a commonality. When our group approached the protest, we were welcomed despite having no connections, and everyone involved seemed to be behaving peacefully. 

    Even in the most tourist-heavy part of Cuzco, the locals took to the streets for a demonstration that defied the atmosphere typically catering so heavily to foreigners. Although I am well-acquainted with political activism in the United States, I had never experienced a demonstration so closely abroad. After witnessing this protest, I was curious if there was another side to the story. Frankly, I am not knowledgeable enough about contemporary Peruvian politics, so I am curious if the protestors represented the majority opinion or not. Regardless, I could gauge that such protesting is allowed as long as there is no violence, which helped me to contextualize the freedom of speech afforded to Peruvians. One other observation that I had was the lack of Quechua. Both the signs and the chants were in Castilian, and no one wore typical indigenous garb. Since national politics affects all the citizens, I am curious as to what demographics were represented at this protest. Nonetheless, I appreciated seeing such an honest display, regardless of my political ignorance.