Displaying items by tag: riots

Demonstrators' demands have included the withdrawal of an extradition bill; demanding an inquiry into police brutality; removing the ‘riot’ label from peaceful protests; the release of arrested demonstrators; and universal suffrage. Their marches on 27 July were called ‘illegal’ by Chinese authorities after the previous week’s infiltration by Triad (mafia) agitators. Protesters complained that the police stood back and allowed mafia-initiated violence. The next day they marched again, and the violence hit a new level of pain and injury. Hong Kong’s protests have lasted eight weeks and are spreading into more remote communities. Protests are becoming more violent - setting fire to carts and throwing dangerous projectiles met by enormous plumes of teargas. Parents and children washed their eyes out in the teargas fog. On 30 July hundreds of protesters blocked access to commuter trains, causing widespread disruption during the rush hour. Pray for the international community to take action.

26 Canadian missionaries working for Haiti Arise became stranded by violent protests 31 miles outside Port-au-Prince. Lisa Honorat, co-founder of Haiti Arise, said, ‘It started to get really scary. It is all over the country, not just in the city.’ The missionaries were safely rescued, but demonstrations calling for the president and prime minister to resign continue, alongside soaring inflation and corruption allegations. Protesters demand an independent investigation over suspicions that officials and former ministers misappropriated development funds from oil deals between Caribbean countries and Venezuela amounting to £1.55bn. Port-au-Prince has been rocked by torched cars and deadly protests since 7 February. Five Americans were arrested on conspiracy charges, and eight others are being held for possession of illegal weapons. See

President Nicolás Maduro won a controversial election for a new Constituent Assembly with the power to rewrite Venezuela’s constitution,  allowing him to replace the current National Assembly with an assembly of 545 members nominated by his administration. The impoverished nation - wracked by an economic crisis, hyperinflation, food shortages, medicine shortages, starvation, skyrocketing infant mortality, civil unrest and street violence - has endured months of anti-government protests with many violent deaths. Maduro said his new Assembly ‘would bring peace to a polarised country, with all branches of the government falling under the political movement.’ Two of Australia’s major trade unions pledged support for the socialist dictator of Venezuela and his Bolivarian Revolution Socialist Government while America has imposed sanctions and the international community are discussing ways to stabilise the country after allegations of election ballot fraud. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/02/venezuela-voting-fraud-corruption-allegations-protests.

In 2014 shocking corruption was reported in Paraguay. The frontrunner in the presidential election, Horacio Cartes, described as a homophobe, was jailed after accusations of currency fraud, investigated for alleged tax evasion, and widely accused of drug trafficking. He is now President Cartes, attempting to run for office again in 2018. This decision led to protests and violent unrest. Police killed one protester. Cartes’ attempt to seek the second term in office has been through behind-the-scenes wrangling. By constitutional law he should not run for office again. The first round of talks to settle the volatile political crisis around his attempt for re-election ended with no progress on Wednesday. Oxfam reports that 90% of the land is owned by 5% of the population. The government talks about presidential re-election and constitutional amendments while the people are without schools or health services. See