Massive demonstrations took place in Lima and other major cities across Peru Thursday to protest the signing of a controversial new labor law.
Presented as a solution to youth unemployment and lack of work experience, the law eliminates labor rights for those under the age of 25. It is part of a neoliberal package of laws in reaction to the slowdown of the Peruvian economy.
The law has been dubbed “Ley Pulpin” which is interpreted by some as “Little Octopus” Law. “Pulpin” is a term adopted from a brand of Juice called “Pulp” in reference to the pulp of fruits. Their children’s version is called “Pulpin” but is now popularly used to refer to an innocent or immature young person who naively allows him or herself to be taken advantage of.
The law abolishes compensation for length of service to an employer, as well as the bi-annual bonuses, social security, and life insurance policies that have long been standard in Peru. It also cuts back on occupational insurance and reduces vacation time from 30 to 15 days.
In Lima, over 10,000 people met at San Martin Square in the center of the city. At approximately 6:30 p.m., they began to march towards Congress. Police attempted to stop their departure from the square, but were overwhelmed. Four blocks later, a barricade of police officers with riot gear, horses, and water tanks were successful in blocking protesters.
Protesters then returned to San Martin square and headed south toward wealthier neighborhoods, disrupting evening traffic as they took over major city streets. The building of a major local TV channel was also tagged with graffiti reading “Trashy Press” and “No to Law 30288.”
As the march entered the wealthiest neighborhood in Peru, San Isidro, police set up another barricade. Protesters attempted to push past the barricade and the police reacted violently. They shot tear gas and indiscriminately beat anyone in front of them, including journalists.
Diego Samanamud, a photographer from Centro de la Imagen, was taking pictures of the beatings and was subsequently attacked by approximately seven police officers. He was left unconscious and taken to hospital 20 minutes later.
A witness described the attack, saying, “They beat [Diego] so hard that the stick broke. First [while he was] standing and [then] when he fell to the floor, four police officers kept beating him. They attacked him because he was taking pictures of all the people the police were oppressing and beating.”
Another witness said, “We asked them who is responsible and they did not respond, nobody is taking responsibility for this.”
Some protesters responded by throwing sticks and stones, as well as a couple of small Molotov cocktails. After the police attacked the demonstrators in San Isidro, the march separated. One group pushed through police and continued to march through Arequipa Avenue. Two other groups went around the blockade, taking parallel streets and reconvening with the first group further ahead in Arequipa. The fourth and largest group attempted to move through the police blockade in San Isidro but were violently held back by police. This standoff continued for an hour before those protesters returned to Plaza San Martin. The three groups that were able to continue through Arequipa Avenue stopped outside the party headquarters of President Ollanta Humala when police caught up with them and fresh confrontations ensued.
Those protesters who were able to march through San Isidro then continued to the neighborhood of Miraflores, where they peacefully blocked the main roundabout. Miraflores is the second wealthiest neighborhood in the country, as well as the most popular area for tourists in Lima. Given the considerable number of bystanders and foreigners in this neighborhood, police were unable to use tear gas against the demonstrators. Instead, they waited until approximately 11 p.m., when the streets were relatively empty, to attack the protesters again.
Multiple arrests were made in San Isidro and Miraflores, many of which were arbitrary. Protesters and media reported Friday that dozens of people were arrested overnight, although no official numbers have been released. The number of injured is also not clear, but pictures of bleeding and bruised youth are now spreading through social media.
An accurate number of protesters is also difficult to estimate given that the march took place over several hours, separated on several occasions, and included various contingents that joined in at different points in time and place.
Protesting groups included people from the National University of San Marcos, as well as from labor unions, left-wing political parties, and a Hip-Hop contingent approximately 500 strong. The latter is inspired by local rappers and has become a very politically active and well-organized movement in the city, especially among the younger generations.
Thursday night, organizers were already meeting to plan the next march. Protesters were overheard last night saying they would not rest until the law is buried. Indeed, calls to march on Monday and Tuesday of next week are already being posted on the web and further organizing meetings are scheduled for today.