Unrest in Peru Spreads
The anti-government protests that began last month in Peru have spread across the country to such an extent that Machu Picchu, the Incan citadel and popular tourist site, was shut down indefinitely “to protect the safety of tourists and the population in general,” according to the country’s culture ministry.
More than 400 tourists, including 300 foreigners, are reportedly stuck in Machu Picchu. Train service to the site has been suspended since Thursday because tracks have been damaged.
Protests began last month after President Pedro Castillo, the first Peruvian leader of rural Andean background, tried to dissolve Congress and was impeached and imprisoned. Fifty-five people have died so far. The protesters are demanding new elections and the dissolution of Congress. Castillo has been detained on rebellion charges. Until recently, however, protests were concentrated in the country’s south.
Police also violently raided a university in Lima this weekend. Thousands, many from the south, marched on the city over the past few days.
To some, the protests represent an uprising of indigenous southerners against the Lima elite. To others, particularly as the protests and ensuing unrest spread, they are a test of whether the country’s democratic institutions can hold.