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In Pictures: Protesters clash with police in Guatemala

Protesters set fire to part of Guatemala’s Congress building amid growing demonstrations against the president.

Demonstrators set part of the Congress building on fire during a protest demanding the resignation of Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei [Orlando Estrada/AFP]
Demonstrators set part of the Congress building on fire during a protest demanding the resignation of Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei [Orlando Estrada/AFP]
22 Nov 2020
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Thousands of people have staged the biggest protest yet against Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei, with some setting fire to Congress, fuelled by anger over cuts in the 2021 budget as the country reels from back-to-back storms.

Waving Guatemalan flags and signs declaring “Giammattei, resign,” demonstrators in Guatemala City on Saturday called for Giammattei to veto the budget, which legislators approved at dawn last Wednesday even as Hurricane Iota was drenching parts of the Central American country still grappling with the destruction from a prior storm.

At 99.7 billion quetzals ($12.9bn), the budget increased public debt while cutting funding for healthcare, education, human rights and the justice system, outraging people from students to business leaders in a year marked by the economic crisis of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Congress allocated more money for their meals and didn’t allocate money to the poor people,” Diego Herrera, a 25-year-old student, told Reuters news agency.

While most protesters assembled peacefully at the main square, others smashed the windows of the Congress building and set fire to the interior, sending columns of orange flames rippling out, social media and Reuters images show. A cloud of grey smoke could be seen blocks away.

A spokeswoman for San Juan de Dios General Hospital, one of the capital’s biggest hospitals, said it was treating 14 people for multiple injuries and tear gas inhalation, after clashes with police in riot gear who used force to disperse the crowds.

Twenty-two people were arrested, a court spokesman said.

Protesters chant 'No more corruption,' 'Giammattei out,' and 'They messed with the wrong generation,' in Guatemala City's central square. [Luis Echeverria/Reuters]
Protesters chant 'No more corruption,' 'Giammattei out,' and 'They messed with the wrong generation,' in Guatemala City's central square. [Luis Echeverria/Reuters]
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A demonstrator shouts at riot police during protests in Guatemala City. [Luis Echeverria/Reuters]
A demonstrator shouts at riot police during protests in Guatemala City. [Luis Echeverria/Reuters]
People confront riot police during the biggest protest yet against Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei. [Orlando Estrada/AFP]
People confront riot police during the biggest protest yet against Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei. [Orlando Estrada/AFP]
Police fired tear gas while protesters hurled rocks at the officers. [Luis Echeverria/Reuters]
Police fired tear gas while protesters hurled rocks at the officers. [Luis Echeverria/Reuters]
Demonstrators set a bus stop on fire during clashes with riot police. [Orlando Estrada/AFP]
Demonstrators set a bus stop on fire during clashes with riot police. [Orlando Estrada/AFP]
Riot police form a cordon as flames shoot out from the Congress building after protesters set part of it on fire. [Oliver De Ros/AP Photo]
Riot police form a cordon as flames shoot out from the Congress building after protesters set part of it on fire. [Oliver De Ros/AP Photo]
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Police arrested more than 20 people during the protests. [Luis Echeverria/Reuters]
Police arrested more than 20 people during the protests. [Luis Echeverria/Reuters]
'Guatemala is weeping blood,' said one protester, who did not give his name. [Johan Ordonez/AFP]
'Guatemala is weeping blood,' said one protester, who did not give his name. [Johan Ordonez/AFP]

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