What has sparked protests in Peru?: Video
Clashes between protesters and police have erupted across Peru since Sunday, September 21.
The unrest began as a ‘Generation Z March’ against pension reforms and has grown due to anger over ‘government corruption and violence’.
The reforms require all citizens over 18 to enrol in either the state-run Office of Pension Normalisation or a private Pension Fund Administrator, a mandate that experts warn will burden workers in a country where around 70% of employment is informal. Many believe it will worsen inequality and disproportionately affect low-income Peruvians.
The marches were led by younger Peruvian’s who will be particularly impacted by these reforms, but include protestors across the generations
As tensions heightened, older grievances with President Dina Boluarte’s government resurfaced. Protestors accused Boluarte and the conservative-majority Congress of corruption and violence in the service of the country’s wealthy elites. They also say the government has allowed organised crime groups to run amok.
“We are really tired of so many robberies. Many of my friends are suffering extortion towards their families”, protester Neptali Aragonez told news agency Viory.
“We are tired of living in uncertainty, getting on public transport and not knowing if we will be safe or not, because there is too much extortion”.
Many young protesters say they were inspired by similar Gen Z-led protests in Nepal.
However, Peruvian video journalist Juan Zapata told Global South World that protests and public anger toward Boluarte’s government began well before the recent unrest in Nepal.
“Three years ago, when 50 people were shot by police, that wasn’t the beginning, but it made a lot of people realise the government was abusing its power”. The deaths came during protests following the ousting and imprisonment of former president Pedro Castillo and Dina Boluarte’s inauguration in 2022.
Zapata also challenged media portrayals of the protests as something only done by Gen Z citizens. “There were 30-year-olds, 40-year-olds, people who have been protesting on the streets for 3 years”.
Nonetheless, recent days have seen a renewal of the tensions that have defined Boluarte’s presidency.
Peru is scheduled to hold a general election in April 2026, but few expect the unrest to subside before then. More protests are expected next weekend.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
