(Lima) Peru closed the famous ancient ruins of Machu Picchu indefinitely on Saturday, the latest sign of anti-government protests that began last month and are increasingly spreading to the South American country.
The Culture Ministry said it had closed the country’s most famous tourist attraction as well as the Inca Trail leading to the site “to protect the safety of tourists and the general population”.
There were 417 visitors stranded in Machu Picchu on Saturday and unable to get out, including more than 300 foreigners, Tourism Minister Luis Fernando Helguero said at a press conference.
The closure of the Inca citadel, which dates from the XVe century and is often referred to as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, comes as protesters descended on Lima, many traveling to the capital from remote Andean regions, to demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte.
Police raided Peru’s largest public university in Lima on Saturday to evict protesters who were housed on campus as they took part in large demonstrations. More than 100 people were arrested, Interior Minister Vicente Romero said.
PHOTO CARLOS MANDUJANO, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Police arrest suspected protesters on the campus of the University of San Marcos in Lima.
Until recently, protests were concentrated in the south of the country. They began last month after then-president Pedro Castillo, Peru’s first leader of rural Andean descent, was impeached and imprisoned for attempting to dissolve Congress.
Protesters demand the resignation of Mr.me Boluarte, the former vice-president sworn in on December 7 to replace Mr. Castillo. They also want Congress dissolved and new elections held. Mr. Castillo is currently being held for rebellion.
More than 55 people have died in the ensuing unrest, most recently overnight Friday-Saturday when a protester was killed and at least nine others injured in clashes with police in Puno. A total of 21 protesters and a policeman died in the southern region.
On Saturday morning, the police used a small tank to burst into the National University of San Marcos.
Javier Cutipa, 39, who traveled by bus from Puno, had been sleeping on the floor there since Thursday, but left for breakfast just before police arrived. He described the police action as “virtually an assault”, with helicopters, tear gas and small tanks.
“It outrages us. The only thing the government does with these detentions is to escalate tensions,” Cutipa said. He believes that “when the population finds out, they will react in a more radical way”.
PHOTO MARTIN BERNETTI, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
Stranded tourists visiting the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu walk along the train tracks after being evacuated by train to Ollantaytambo, Peru on December 17, 2022.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the law enforcement offices where detainees were kept on Saturday night shouting “Freedom” and “We are students, not terrorists”. Others gathered at other locations in downtown Lima.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights said it was “concerned about police raids, mass expulsions and detentions” at the university and urged the state to “guarantee the integrity and due process of all “.
The university issued a press release saying the raid took place after protesters “assaulted” security personnel.
Cusco, where Machu Picchu is located, has seen some of the most intense clashes, resulting in a significant loss of tourist revenue. Cusco airport was briefly closed this week after protesters tried to storm it.
Train service to Machu Picchu has been closed since Thursday due to track damage.
Some stranded tourists have opted to walk to Piscacucho, the nearest village, Minister Helguero said, “but this involves walking for six, seven hours or more and only a few people are able to do it”.
Tourists who had already purchased Machu Picchu tickets from Saturday until a month after the protests ended will be able to get a full refund, the culture ministry said.