Violence erupted Thursday in Bolivia’s capital city as law enforcement officers deployed tear gas against a group of miners who detonated small explosive charges while attempting to storm the presidential palace during the second week of countrywide protests.
The confrontation marks another escalation in mounting civil disorder that has challenged President Rodrigo Paz’s government since he took office late last year, beginning a new chapter for the South American country following almost two decades under single-party control.
Large numbers of miners flooded downtown La Paz demanding workplace reforms and fuel supplies, but as time went on, they started shouting demands for the president to step down.
Road blockades and protest marches have brought Bolivia’s capital to a standstill over recent days. Earlier Thursday, teachers from rural areas marched through the city’s center demanding increased pay, adding to the pressure on the capital.
The current protest movement began when agricultural workers called for the elimination of legislation allowing farmland to be used as mortgage collateral. Despite the president issuing an order Wednesday evening to cancel the law and appealing for calm, the demonstrations have kept expanding.
