Thousands of locals trying to enter the Ecuadorian Congress on Thursday, the 11th day of anti-government protests, were dispersed by police with tear gas.
Hours earlier, right-wing president Guillermo Lasso had allowed locals to enter the emblematic Casa da Cultura, a symbolic place for indigenous peoples. But then a large group of protesters marched towards the National Assembly, a few meters away, guarded by a cordon of soldiers and police that locals were trying to break through.
A group of women led the protest. Protesters threw stones as uniformed protesters responded with tear gas and stun grenades. The crowd retreated to a park adjacent to the Casa da Cultura.
The leader of the demonstrations, Leonidas Iza, was taken aback when he gave an interview that was interrupted by the explosions. “This is a really bad sign. We simply asked our bases for a peaceful march,” said Iza, head of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie).
Nearly 14,000 protesters mobilized across the country to stave off the high cost of living, exacerbated by rising fuel prices.
source: Noticias
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