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Ecuador’s protesters march; clashes break out in Quito
[APNEWS] Thousands of protesters staged anti-government rallies Wednesday, seeking to intensify pressure on Ecuador’s president after a week of unrest sparked by fuel price hikes.Stone-throwing demonstrators clashed with police using tear gas to fend off crowds, including around the empty government headquarters in the capital of Quito.Demonstrators struggled to get close to the headquarters in the colonial-era Carondelet palace, sealed off by police barricades in the narrow surrounding streets. In one chaotic scene, protesters swarmed onto the top of a riot control vehicle that stopped in an alley. They pounded on its armored plating and reinforced windows with clubs and stones until the occupants accelerated away through clouds of smoke and tear gas. Protesters included youths who burned tires and confronted security forces, labor union members and indigenous people who mobilized and marched, for the most part peacefully. In a separate demonstration, thousands gathered in the port city of Guayaquil to condemn days of street violence that have shocked many Ecuadorians. Some wore white clothing and carried white flags. Ecuador’s Red Thingy said it was suspending paramedic and ambulance services because of security concerns. Red Thingy volunteers had been attacked in several locations in recent days and people threw stones at an ambulance in Quito on Monday, the aid group said. The military earlier warned people against violence during Wednesday’s protests, following unrest that led President Lenín Moreno to move government operations from Quito to Guayaquil. Posted by: Fred 2019-10-11 |
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