By Sofía Martínez Guerrero
In the context of the national struggle, on February 9, a massive mobilization took place in Lima, within the context of the national strike called by the CGTP as a result of the two-month struggle of workers, peasants and the people in general against the illegitimate government of Boluarte.
Since July 1977 the trade union federation had not called a national strike or any significant protest action, in spite of the continuous summons of trade union, social and political organizations. These two months of coup government and brutal repression caused social and rank and file pressure, as well as the persecution and arrest of union leaders, to force the CGTP bureaucracy to call a national strike.
The rally began in the Dos de Mayo square, where the CGTP’s historic headquarters are located. As the hours went by, union and regional delegations began to arrive. The march began at 4 pm, with a strong union presence. The civil construction unions were at the head with the largest delegations, and also present were sectors of telephone workers, teachers, metalworkers, department stores, bottling plant workers, among others.
On the other hand, the regional defense fronts participated with delegations from the different departments of Peru, with a significant presence of the department of Puno. And the Juliaca delegation made an artistic intervention to represent the dead and wounded during the repression of January 9, with people stained with blood and black coffins, which were placed on the track of Abancay Avenue.
The mobilization, which went through the center of Lima and was reflected in regions throughout the country, took place one month after the Juliaca Massacre, which resulted in the death toll of 18 people killed. To this day there is no progress in the investigation process and the struggle for justice is more present than ever.
The strike in the regions
In the south of Peru, road blockades have been maintained for the last 2 months. Cusco continues with the tourist activity paralyzed. In Ollantaytambo, the train is blocked. In Apurimac and Central Sierra, road blockades remain in the mining corridor, as well as in Arequipa, Moquegua and Puno. In regions such as Ayacucho, Huancavelica and Tacna there were mobilizations in support of the strike. Likewise, in the afternoon, violent repressions by the police were reported in Apurimac and Puno.
In San Roman (Puno), the repression left 23 people injured, and despite the brutality of the police, they managed to maintain the occupation of the Desaguadero Bridge on the border with Bolivia, which has been going on for 2 months.
In Aymaraes (Apurimac), the repression left 3 people severely wounded and the death of a 22 year old young man. The autopsy report states that his death was caused by a bullet wound to the thorax.
For the last two weeks, several human rights organizations have been denouncing that Puno, Ayacucho and Selva Madre de Dios are militarized, with permanent intimidation actions against the population as a whole.
The northern departments of Peru sent delegations to Lima to join the protests, such as La Libertad, Ancash, Chiclayo, Piura, Cajamarca, Tumbes, among others. The northern macro regional has agreed to carry out a strike from February 17 to 20, affecting commercial activity, food supply as well as transportation.
The coup government continues to look the other way
Boluarte continues to mock those who struggle. In a press conference she once again referred to those who are mobilizing as a “minority” and she comes out to expose her “progress” in her administration without recognizing the murders they have committed against the mobilized people. She distanced herself from the repression and arrests carried out by the police, and continues to use her status as a woman to victimize herself.
Furthermore, such is the ineffectiveness of this illegitimate government that it did not take long for complaints to arrive about the lack of response to the landslide in Secocha (Arequipa) where there are more than 3,000 victims who have lost everything.
Not only does it repress and kill the mobilized people, but it does not respond to the urgent situation suffered by thousands of families.
Maintain the strike and intensify the struggle until Boluarte leaves.
This national strike is a consequence of the struggle that we have been carrying out for two months, today the task is to maintain the strike, to advance to an indefinite general strike. We must continue to add the greatest participation of all sectors. The students must increase their participation even more. Other teachers’ unions, collectives and social organizations need to join the struggle with more strength.
We need a united coordination to give the fight. We must continue to add solidarity and support to the struggle.
A coordination of all of us who are fighting, confronting repression in the streets, denouncing the coup government and this civic-military dictatorship. The organizations of the revolutionary left have to work in unity with the organizations of workers, peasants, to advance in the struggle to defeat and throw out Boluarte and take over the government. Mobilization and organization from below is our guarantee. It is the only guarantee to then call for the Constituent Assembly, which has to be free and sovereign, so that once and for all the priority is our people and not the bureaucrats, corrupt and coup plotters.