Category Archives: Protest

Interim president of Peru steps down after two protesters killed

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Manuel Merino’s exit follows nationwide fury sparked by shootings at pro-democracy rally

The interim president of Peru, Manuel Merino, has stepped down amid nationwide fury over the killing of two protesters in a brutally heavy-handed police clampdown on massive pro-democracy demonstrations on Saturday.

In a televised address to the nation, Merino announced his resignation and insisted he acted within the law when he was sworn into office as chief of state on Tuesday, following congress’s removal of the elected president in an impeachment vote.

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Protesters clash with police in Peru’s largest demonstration in decades – video

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At least 30 protesters were detained during big pro-democracy demonstrations in Peru, with multiple reports of heavy-handed treatment of largely peaceful attendees. 

The health ministry reported two protesters were killed and more than 30 people were being treated for injuries on Saturday after nearly a week of unrest over the controversial removal of Martín Vizcarra as president.

Vizcarra's replacement by a de facto government is seen by many Peruvians as a coup and people have demanded the resignation of Manuel Merino, the former speaker of congress who was sworn in as president on Tuesday

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Million Maga March: Trump supporters protest in Washington – video

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At least a thousand protesters travelled across the US to show their support for Donald Trump in what was called the 'Million Maga March' in Washington on Saturday.

People chanted 'stop the steal' and sang the national anthem, some demonstrators running after Trump's motorcade when it made an appearance at the beginning of the significantly advertised event.

Counter-protesters also rallied in Washington and clashed with Trump supporters in the evening, when at least 20 people were arrested on a variety of charges, including assault and weapons possession, according to officials

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Driving Mr Donald – White House excursion reveals a presidency pushing up daisies

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From the motorcade, leaving Washington, it was clear how Trump thrives on a noisy minority’s support – and why he lost

It was a jarring few minutes of seeing the world through Donald Trump’s eyes and indulging his fantasies.

Related: Trump supporters gather in Washington as president refuses to concede to Biden

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Donald Trump motorcade drives by supporters protesting US election results – video

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Donald Trump's motorcade drove past supporters protesting the US election results on Saturday.

Trump was on his way to a nearby golf course in northern Virginia when he reportedly intentionally chose the route. He passed his supporters in Washington DC demonstrating against the results of the presidential election, which Joe Biden won.

Pro-Trump demonstrations are scheduled to take place across the US on 14 November, with counter protests also planned

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Belarus tells banks to seize money raised to help out protesters

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Money frozen in accounts of people who were hoping to use it for treatment or to pay fines

Authorities in Belarus have ordered banks to seize money raised in small donations and paid out as compensation to victims of a police crackdown on protesters.

The funds were transferred to people who were beaten or fined after taking part in ongoing demonstrations against the regime of Alexander Lukashenko.

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The path to Joe Biden’s victory: five days in five minutes – video highlights

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President-elect Joe Biden has thanked the American people for their support after winning the US presidential election against Donald Trump. From razor-thin margins, record voter turnout and protests via false claims of victory and Joe and Kamala Harris's congratulatory call - here's the story of how the presidency was won

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Lockdown: Met apologises for arrest threats to journalists covering protest

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Police showed ‘disregard of the the principles of a free media’, says Society of Editors

Scotland Yard has apologised after journalists and photographers covering an anti-lockdown protest were told to leave and threatened with arrest.

Journalists at the demonstration protesting the new national lockdown in England in Trafalgar Square on Thursday were reportedly told by officers they were not seen as essential workers and needed special permission from the Metropolitan police service (MPS) to be present.

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Poland delays abortion ban as nationwide protests continue

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Anti-government rallies continue over court’s ruling to restrict access to terminations

Poland’s rightwing government has delayed implementation of a controversial court ruling that would outlaw almost all abortion after it prompted the largest protests since the fall of communism.

“There is a discussion going on, and it would be good to take some time for dialogue and for finding a new position in this situation, which is difficult and stirs high emotions,” Michał Dworczyk, the head of the prime minister’s office, told Polish media on Tuesday.

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Latest coronavirus lockdowns spark protests across Europe

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Libertarians and conspiracy theorists join business owners in opposing new restrictions

Fresh lockdowns to stem the spread of coronavirus have sparked sometimes violent protests in several European countries, fuelled both by ideological fury at new government-imposed restrictions and fears of economic hardship.

As the number of infections surge and hospitals and intensive care units fill up, countries including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain have once more introduced tough curbs on movement and gatherings.

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Pianist plays Eternal Flame during violent anti-lockdown protest in Barcelona – video

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Footage of a pianist in Barcelona playing a rendition of the Bangles' hit Eternal Flame amid the sound of explosions, wailing sirens and protesters has gone viral on social media.

Peter William Geddes, who was playing in Plaça Nova on 31 October, said as the violence escalated in the background he felt peaceful: 'When I play I am very calm. No nerves.'

Anti-lockdown protests have been ramping up across Europe as many countries head into more stringent Covid-19 lockdowns

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North Carolina police pepper spray protesters at get-out-the-vote march

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  • ‘We are fed up with this kind of treatment in Alamance county’
  • Police claim protesters blocked roadway without authorization

North Carolina police pepper sprayed and arrested attendees at a get-out-the vote rally because participants blocked the roadway without authorization, authorities said on Saturday.

The “I Am Change” march to the polls was organized by the Reverend Greg Drumwright and began as a march from a local church to the courthouse. Drumwright said the group was permitted to stand in the square outside the Alamance county courthouse and was escorted through the streets by the police. He also said that the group had “no intention” of having the rally in the street.

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Belarus protesters use Telegram to keep up pressure on Lukashenko

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Secure messaging app pivotal to organisation of protests and spreading of news about repressions

In a small Minsk apartment one evening last week, a group of people gathered to discuss plans for a Halloween party with a twist. There would be costumes, drinks and games, but the main event was a ceremonial funeral. The plan: to bury Alexander Lukashenko’s dictatorship.

“Maybe we should bury a pumpkin with a moustache,” suggested one young woman.

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Police spying inquiry to examine targeting of UK black justice groups

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Judge will hear evidence on undercover operations against campaigns such as Stephen Lawrence

A public inquiry into undercover policing is poised to reveal details of how police repeatedly spied on black justice groups, including several run by grieving families whose relatives were killed by police or died in custody.

The judge-led inquiry was launched six years ago by the home secretary at the time, Theresa May, after the Guardian revealed police covertly monitored the campaign for justice over the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence.

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Protests grow across Muslim world against French president Emmanuel Macron – video report

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Demonstrations are growing across the Muslim world against the French president Emmanuel Macron and his perceived attacks on Islam and the prophet Muhammad.

In Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, about 40,000 people were involved in a demonstration organised by the country’s largest Islamist party, while protests took place in Pakistan, Palestine, Iran and Afghanistan.

French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo republished cartoons of Muhammad in September, before the trial of 14 people accused of involvement in a terrorist attack against the publication’s offices in 2015 for publishing the same caricatures.

Macron has defended the publication, pledged to fight ‘Islamist separatists’ and said his country ‘would not give up cartoons’

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Philadelphia protesters take to streets after police killing of black man

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  • Walter Wallace, 27, shot ‘several times’ by officers
  • Police in riot gear disperse demonstrators

Hundreds took to the streets of Philadelphia on Monday night, to protest the shooting by police of Walter Wallace, a 27-year-old black man who officers said had a knife.

Related: America's protest crackdown: five months after George Floyd, hundreds face trials and prison

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Belarus riot police burst into apartment looking for protesters – video

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Video shows riot police in Minsk bursting into an apartment in the city searching for protesters who had been seeking refuge after officers used stun grenades at a rally against the regime of Alexander Lukashenko, who continues to hold on to power despite two months of mass protests since he declared victory in the presidential election in August.

The footage, filmed on Sunday and later posted to social media, shows a policeman using a baton to beat a man who was draped with the pre-Soviet red-and-white flag, the symbol adopted by the opposition. Police detained at least three other men, while several others were sheltering on the upper floors of the building, a witness said. 

Officials in Belarus detained more than 500 people at nationwide anti-government protests on Sunday, including 160 in Minsk, the interior ministry said on Monday

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Chileans vote by huge majority to replace Pinochet-era constitution – video report

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Chileans celebrated on the streets after voting overwhelmingly to tear up the country's constitution, imposed four decades ago under the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. 

In Santiago's Plaza Italia, the focus of massive protests last year that led to the poll, fireworks rose above a crowd of tens of thousands of people singing in unison as the word 'rebirth' was beamed on to a tower above. Exit polls showed that 78.24% of people had voted to approve a rewrite, while 21.76% rejected the change. Many have expressed hopes that new guiding principles will temper an unabashedly capitalist ethos with guarantees of more equal rights in healthcare, pensions and education

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Chile: millions head to polls in referendum on constitutional reform

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Abolishing Pinochet-era constitution was key demand of last year’s protests

Chilean streets filled on Sunday for the first time since the start of the coronavirus outbreak as millions of people turned out to vote on whether to get rid of the country’s Pinochet-era constitution in favour of a fresh charter drafted by citizens.

A new constitution was a key demand of fierce anti-government protests that erupted last year over inequality and elitism in one of Latin America’s most advanced economies, and have simmered ever since.

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Belarus protests: nationwide strike looms after ‘people’s ultimatum’ rally

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Opposition leader calls for action on Monday as Lukashenko defies demand from 100,000 marchers in Minsk to step down

Belarusian riot police launched another violent crackdown in Minsk on Sunday evening, throwing stun grenades into crowds of peaceful protesters, chasing people through courtyards and making arrests as they attempted to curtail the 11th consecutive Sunday of protest in the country.

At least 100,000 people marched through the centre of the Belarusian capital earlier in the day to give what they called a “people’s ultimatum” to Alexander Lukashenko: step down, or face a nationwide strike on Monday that could cripple the economy.

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