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Social outrage is a result of President Alejandro Gianmattei's mismanagement of resources allocated to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guatemala's Indigenous movements, social organizations, students, political actors, and religious authorities Tuesday called for a peaceful march to demand the resignation of President Alejandro Gianmattei for his scant efforts to combat poverty and inequality in the country.
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"We will take to the streets against all corrupt politicians," the Xinca People's Parliament stated as it informed the demonstration will begin at 7h00 local time in front of the Presidential House.
The social mobilizations will continue in Guatemala City throughout the week. Student unions called on the people to take part in a demonstration that will begin at 14h00 in Constitution Square next Saturday.
The protests that have taken place in the capital for four days in a row were unleashed after Congress' approval of the 2021 National Budget, which includes a large public debt.
Protests usually don't get going until an hour or more after the advertised start time, but it's not even 2pm yet and #Guatemala City's central plaza is already really filling up and many people are still on their way. "The state is a mafia," reads a banner by the sound stage. pic.twitter.com/0I7qfqRebV
— Sandra Cuffe (@Sandra_Cuffe) November 21, 2020
Social outrage is also a result of the Gianmattei administration's mismanagement of resources allocated to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Congress had approved loans of over US$3.8 billion to address the pandemic, but only 15 percent of those resources reached Guatemalans," Human Rights attorney Erika Guevara-Rosas explained.
The protests burst out in front of the Congress building on Saturday. Throughout the day, human rights violations and indiscriminate use of force by the National Police were reported. Two young people lost an eye when they were hit by a tear gas bomb allegedly launched by police officers.
#Nicaragua | The passage of Hurricana Eta this weekend left severe flooding in Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras, destroying homes and claiming dozens of lives. pic.twitter.com/95akPFf9Cf
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) November 8, 2020
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