Police and protesters clash in Quito as strike enters its third week; Sunday march in Cuenca is peaceful

Two anti-government marches turned violent Sunday morning in Quito as police and soldiers attempted to block the movement of thousands of protesters. The first march began in the Villaflora district and attempted to reach Parque El Arbolito. The second departed from Cayambe before daylight and moved south toward Quito.

Police throw tear gas during Sunday’s protest march in Quito.

The marches were part of a “national day of protest” called by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie). Smaller marches in Cuenca, Guayaquil, Ibarra, Riobamba and Ambato were peaceful.

Police in Quito attempted to block protesters on Av. Napo from reaching Parque El Arbolito with barricades and tear gas, but the crowd broke into smaller groups, arriving at El Arbolito by noon.

To the north, authorities erected roadblocks to stop marchers on the Pan American highway in Tabacundo, Guayllabamba and Calderón, but again, protesters dispersed and regathered to the south.

Another flashpoint was the national Casa del la Cultura (CCE) in central Quito, where some protesters took refuge from police tear gas. According to directors of Casa del la Cultura, police entered the building and tossed tear gas cannisters, although the government claimed there was no entry by police or soldiers.

In a statement, CCE management claimed that police “put at risk the heritage of the country and the integrity of the people” by discharging gas inside the building. “These premises include a museum, libraries, archives and exhibition rooms, which form the cultural legacy of the country. In the strongest possible terms, we reject this intrusion and extension of violence in the house of the people’s heritage.”

Police say they made 118 arrests during the Quito protest.

Prior to Sunday’s marches, the government had assembled more than 10,000 police and soldiers in Quito, following a warning by Conaie President Marlon Vargas that strike supporters would “take over” the capital.

Interior Minister John Reimberg said Sunday night that the government was prepared for “lawlessness” from protesters. “Because of our preparations, most of Quito is calm tonight and we intend to extend that tranquility to rest of the city,” he said.

Reimberg blamed incidents at the Casa de la Cultura on the management. “They invited the chaos by allowing violent people into their building,” adding that the government will investigate CCE directors.

National Police report that 118 people were arrested during the Quito marches, mostly for throwing rocks and other projectiles.

In a statement Sunday night, Conaie claimed the government used “violent and repressive” tactics against the marchers. “It is clear for everyone to see that this government has adopted a warmongering attitude toward the people, and this is why this strike will be maintained.”

Quito Mayor Pabel Muñoz also criticized the government’s response to the marches. “The heavy deployment of police and military personnel was excessive and is an abuse of the emergency status intended to prevent crime,” he said. “It is not the protesters who have put the city under a state of siege, it is the government.”

In Cuenca, several hundred students, farmworkers, union members marched on Calle Simon Bolivar Sunday morning in support of the Conaie strike. Marchers carried signs demanding reinstatement of the diesel fuel subsidy and supporting the demands of the indigenous movement. Protesters marched from the San Blas Plaza to Parque Calderon where a rally was held at the government building.

The march was peaceful as police provided an escort, closing traffic on side streets.