by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America
LA PAZ, Bolivia – Yesterday police and a crowd of protestors clashed in the Plaza Murillo, the center of the national government. Roughly 50 disabled individuals ended a 1,000 mile protest walk at the Plaza Murillo and were met by police barricades.
Upon entering the Plaza the group attempted to pass the barricades and the police stepped in to stop them. Some of the protestors used their wheelchairs, canes and crutches to fight the police. Pepper spray was used to disperse and end the riot.
La Razón, a daily news agency in Bolivia, reports that four protestors were detained by police and roughly 10 of the disabled had minor injuries from the confrontation. The police report that about 10 officers were also injured.
The group began the protest on the 15 of November, roughly 100 days ago, in the streets of Trinidad, Bolivia. Along the way the protestors were fed and given places to sleep by families in the towns they passed through.
The protestors sought to draw attention to a government statute, passed on the 5th of November, that kept monthly payment subsidies, to those disabled, at roughly $130 US. The demand of the group was that payment be increased to $400 US; a more appropriate amount which they could viably live on. They also want to establish a more integrated place in society for those with disabilities.
The march was especially symbolic as it claimed for those disabled a strong political identity just like any other social group. They specifically chose to end the march at Plaza Murillo as that is where other groups typically gather for protests.
“Why not us? It is a public space and like everyone we all have the right to protest,” said Camilo Bianchi, a leader of the group.
Living in Bolivia as a disabled individual is not an easy life. Most of the buildings throughout the nation are not handicapped accessible and there is a strong prejudice that continues to exist against them. Most who are disabled find it impossible to work or to attend school.
“It’s very hard to be a person with a disability. Even our own husbands abandon us because they feel ashamed of us. I look after my four children alone, washing and ironing clothes for people, and doing whatever I can,” said Domitila Franco, one of the protestors.
The group has now declared that 10 individuals will begin a hunger strike in an attempt to gain governmental acquiescence to their demands. The government’s defense of its actions yesterday centered on the theory that the group had been “infiltrated” by other political activists. This presented too great of a threat to the Plaza as a public forum and thus police barricades were erected.
For more information, please see;
BBC News – Bolivia’s Disabled Clash with Police Over Subsidies – 24 February 2012
Bolivia Weekly – Disabled Battle Police in the Street – 24 February 2012
The Guardian – Disabled Protestors Clash with Police in Bolivia – 24 February 2012
La Razón – Tras la Violencia, Discapacitados Ingresan en Huelga de Hambre – 24 February 2012
