Protesters rallied outside the Peruvian Consulate in Sydney on December 23 to demand an end to the killings in Peru. This follows the arrest of Peruvian president Pedro Castillo and the imposition of an illegal government.
Latin American-Australians and others gathered to protest the recent coup in Peru, in which the military and police are cracking down on thousands of peaceful demonstrators.
Protesters held up signs condemning the murder of 26 people so far, sang a song of defiance in Spanish and chanted “Peru united, will never be defeated!”
Photos of many of the slain demonstrators were displayed on a colourful blanket, laid on the ground.
Rally organiser Leonor Luna told Green Left: “We are supporting the people's demands for new elections as soon as possible next year. We need leaders who really care about the people.”
Luna said the new government was responsible for this wave of attacks but “attacks on people’s rights have been happening for many years now in Peru”.
“We call on the Australian government to intervene and demand the killings stop immediately. We also oppose the United States government’s support for the undemocratic coup,” Luna concluded.