Live
Audio Only
Ecuador’s Justice Minister provided further details on the violent attacks by opponents of the government that took place on Thursday night during protests in the nation's capital.
The violence followed revelations that the right-wing opposition supporters, in collaboration with former Chief of Military Intelligence, were seeking to use Thursday's protests as cover to take over the presidential palace as part of actions that also included blockading the nation's major airports, as well as the bridges located on the Colombian and Peruvian borders.
WATCH: Ecuador's Supposed Peaceful Protests
In a press conference late Friday, Minister Serrano said that so far 37 people have been arrested after violence saw six police officers injured.
RELATED: Opposition March in Ecuador Turns Violent
The officers were attacked as opponents sought to break police lines and make their way to the Presidential Palace where thousands of government supporters had gathered following the coup rumours.
Minister Serrano called on “all Ecuadoreans to isolate those who are violent” and back the “call by the President of the republic to move forward in the process of dialogue among citizens”
He added that “we will not permit that these aggressions against our police to remain in impunity.”
The Minister said that despite attempts by the right-wing to force out the Correa government “we will continue in this process of change in the country”
In recent weeks, a wave of opposition protests, initially only calling for the ending of new tax laws on the wealthiest, have increasingly turned violent, with many demanding the ousting of the Correa government.
President Correa announced June 15 the temporary withdrawal of the tax laws and the start of a national dialogue on the future of the Ecuadorean economy.
Newsletter
