One dead, over 100 injured in youth-led protest in Peru (VIDEOS)
Violent anti-government clashes in the Peruvian capital of Lima on Wednesday left at least one person dead and over 100 injured, according to the authorities.
The Peruvian Congress impeached President Dina Boluarte last week in response to public anger over rampant crime and numerous corruption scandals, appointing congressional chief Jose Jeri as her interim replacement. Jeri, who unveiled his cabinet on Tuesday, vowed to prioritize fighting crime, but faced protests demanding his removal.
Thousands of mostly young protesters and labor unions marched through Lima on Wednesday night to denounce Jeri’s new government. The protest turned violent when demonstrators tried to tear down security barriers outside Congress, prompting riot police to intervene.
Protesters reportedly hurled stones, Molotov cocktails and fireworks at the officers, who responded with tear gas and flares to disperse them.
“We are raising our voices because we’re tired of this mafia pact among corrupt parties that have taken control of the state,” one protester told the video agency Ruptly, calling for Jeri’s ouster and transparent elections. “The whole system is contaminated… the government is the criminal,” another added.
Jeri condemned the protest on social media as “irresponsible,” alleging that criminals had infiltrated the rally in order “to create chaos.” He vowed that all those responsible for the violence would face “the full weight of the law.”
Protests over corruption and crime have intensified in Lima, where extortion cases have surged from a few hundred a year in 2017 to over 2,000 a month in 2025, leaving dozens of bus drivers dead and businesses bombed. The wave of violence led to a state of emergency being declared earlier this year.
Many view Jeri as unfit to tackle the crisis, however. An Ipsos poll last month showed that only 5% approved of his performance as head of Congress, while nearly 80% disapproved. Peru has had seven governments in the past decade, including the newest one.
