In parallel, a large faction of the demonstrators led by women and children then advanced towards the National Assembly, located a few meters away and guarded by a cordon of soldiers and police, where there was a new repression by the security forces, causing dozens of wounded.
From the official sectors they pointed out that the demonstration was trying to enter the National Assembly, in the same way that they had done it in the House of Culture, but the Police refused to let them pass. The dispute led to an excessive response by police officers, who responded to social pressure with tear gas.
The leader of the demonstrations, Leonidas Iza, was surprised while giving an interview that was interrupted by loud explosions.
“That’s a really bad sign. We had asked our base that we can just do a peaceful march,” Iza said.president of the powerful Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie).
Some 14,000 protesters are mobilized in various parts of the country to demand relief from the high cost of living, made more expensive by the rise in fuel.
In Quito alone, some 10,000 indigenous people pressure President Lasso, isolated by covid.
In a dollarized economy, where fuels are subsidizedthe increase in gasoline and diesel made freight more expensive. The indigenous people allege that they are harvesting at a loss.
The government released the House of Culture as a goodwill gesture to start talks with the leaders of the protests.
“It’s a triumph of the struggle,” Iza had celebrated as she walked early toward the cultural center’s agora.
Source: Ambito
