Latin American spring

The 2020 Bolivian protests were mass anti-presidential demonstrations and pro-Morales unrest after the 2019 Bolivian political crisis ousted popular president Evo Morales and his government, and made Jeanine Áñez the interim president. Another cause was the delay of the 2020 Bolivian general election.[4]

Protest against the government of President Jair Bolsonaro in São Paulo

The 2021 Brazilian protests are popular demonstrations that took place in different regions of Brazil, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Protests both supporting and opposing government happened.[5]

It was also the first time when sectors linked to the two antagonistic sides, such as the left and the right, began to protest against the government over a common goal, holding caravans on January 23 and 24, 2021.[6][7][8]

In a meeting with supporters held on January 5, 2021, President Jair Bolsonaro reportedly said that the country was “broken” and that he “could not do anything”, apart from making attacks against the press again. After the declaration, there were several debates among economists about the president's statement and the following day, he had said in a tone of irony that the country "is wonderful".[9][10]

During the health collapse in Amazonas, the Attorney General's Office (AGU) confessed to the Supreme Federal Court that the federal government knew about the depletion of oxygen in the state and that one of the government's measures was to send 120,000 pills of hydroxychloroquine to the state, a drug that has no scientific basis against COVID-19. Even with the start of vaccination against COVID-19 on January 18, the president once again insisted on early treatment.[11]

In the midst of the political crisis, a profile called @sos_impeachment appeared on Twitter, with the aim of taking a vote score through positioning. Until January 25, 2021, there were 111 votes in favor and 76 against Bolsonaro's impeachment.[12] Taking advantage of the engagement, the Movimento Vem pra Rua, the Free Brazil Movement and the former presidential candidate for the New Party, João Amoêdo, launched a petition for impeachment on January 21. As of January 25th, there have been more than 200,000 signatures on the change.org platform.[13]

During the months of April and May, the movements for Bolsonaro's impeachment gain strength again, starting to have pressure even from artists and digital influencers. Among the celebrities who signed a collective order published on May 24, 2021, are former RecordTV presenter Xuxa Meneghel, sports commentator Walter Casagrande, youtuber and main opponent of the government Felipe Neto, Priest Júlio Lancellotti and actress Júlia Lemmertz. In addition to celebrities, doctors and scientists also sign the letter.[14]

Protesters in Plaza Baquedano on 22 October

The 2019–2022 Chilean protests, known in Chile as the Estallido Social (lit. social outburst),[15][16] are a series of massive demonstrations and severe riots that originated in Santiago and spread to all regions of Chile, with a greater impact in the main cities, such as Greater Valparaíso, Greater Concepción, Greater La Serena, Arica, Iquique, Antofagasta, Rancagua, Chillán, Temuco, Valdivia, Osorno, Puerto Montt and Punta Arenas, developed mainly between October 2019 and March 2020. Civil protests took place throughout Chile in response to a raise in the Santiago Metro's subway fare, a probity crisis,[17]According to political scientist Mauricio Morales Quiroga the probity crisis stem from a series of publicized cases of corruption among the police,[18] the armed forces[18] and government,[19] besides a series of private company collusions.[19][17] A 2019 study by Transparency International claimed that 54% of adult Chileans thought corruption had increased the last year.[20] cost of living, privatisation and inequality prevalent in the country.[21][22][23][24]

The protests began in Chile's capital, Santiago, as a coordinated fare evasion campaign by secondary school students which led to spontaneous takeovers of the city's main train stations and open confrontations with the Carabineros de Chile (the national police force). On 18 October, the situation escalated as a group of people began vandalizing city's infrastructure; seizing, vandalizing, and burning down many stations of the Santiago Metro network and disabling them with extensive infrastructure damage, and for a time causing the cessation of the network in its entirety. Eighty-one stations have sustained major damage, including seventeen burned down.[25][26] On the same day, President of Chile Sebastián Piñera announced a state of emergency, authorizing the deployment of Chilean Army forces across the main regions to enforce order and prevent the destruction of public property, and invoked before the courts the Ley de Seguridad del Estado ("State Security Law") against dozens of detainees. A curfew was declared on 19 October in the Greater Santiago area.[27][28]

In the following days, protests and riots expanded to other Chilean cities, including Concepción, San Antonio and Valparaíso.[29] The state of emergency was extended to the Concepción Province, all Valparaíso Region (except Easter Island and Juan Fernández Archipelago) and the cities of Antofagasta, Coquimbo, Iquique, La Serena, Rancagua, Valdivia, Osorno, and Puerto Montt. The protests have been considered the "worst civil unrest" having occurred in Chile since the end of Augusto Pinochet's military dictatorship due to the scale of damage to public infrastructure, the number of protesters, and the measures taken by the government.[30] Widespread looting occurred at shops and businesses.

On 25 October 2019, over 1.2 million people took to the streets of Santiago to protest against social inequality, demanding President Piñera's resignation, in what was called as "The biggest march of Chile."[31][32] As of 28 December 2019, 29 people have died,[33] nearly 2,500 have been injured and 2,840 have been arrested.[32][34] Human rights organisations have received several reports of violations conducted against protesters by security forces, including eye mutilation, torture, sexual abuse and sexual assault. On 28 October 2019, President Piñera changed eight ministries of his cabinet in response to the unrest, dismissing his Interior Minister Andrés Chadwick.[35][36]

On 15 November 2019, Chile's National Congress signed an agreement to hold a national referendum that would rewrite the constitution if it were to be approved. The referendum was rescheduled from April to October 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile. On 25 October 2020, Chileans voted 78.28 per cent in favor of a new constitution, while 21.72 per cent rejected the change. Voter turnout was 51 per cent. On 16 May 2021, the election of the 155 Chileans who will form the convention which will draft the new constitution was voted.[37][38] On November 18 Chilean security services discontinued an investigation on the presumed involvement of Cuban and Venezuelan agents in the protests, having not found any conclusive evidence.[39]

The pandemic provoked a reduction in the scale of the protests, with social distancing measures and eventual government-imposed lockdowns in place.[40] An estimated 3.5 billion dollars and 300 thousand jobs, have been lost due to destruction and damage of public and private infrastructure, including the Santiago Metro, as a result of the protests and vandalism carried out mainly between October and November 2019. As of July 2021, the demonstrations have continued to focus every Friday almost exclusively around Plaza Baquedano, where between 100 to 500 people confront the police, vandalize the surroundings demanding for the liberation of the so-called "Prisoners of the Revolt".[41] This continuation has been defined by the government as "acts of crime that do not respond to a demonstration or social demand."[42][43][44][45][46]

On 19 December 2021, former student leader and constitutional agreement negotiator, 35-year old leftist Gabriel Boric, was elected president of Chile in the 2021 Chilean presidential election with 55.86% of the vote.[47]

Protest in Medellín on 1 May 2021

A series of protests began in Colombia on 28 April 2021 against increased taxes, corruption, and health care reform proposed by the government of President Iván Duque Márquez. The tax initiative was introduced to expand funding to Ingreso Solidario, a universal basic income social program established in April 2020 to provide relief during the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia, while the legislative Bill 010 proposed several changes in the health care system in Colombia.[48][49][50][51]

Although the courts had anticipated the protests would be widespread, having annulled all existing permits out of fear of further spread of COVID-19, the protests began in earnest anyway on 28 April 2021. In large cities such as Bogotá and Cali, thousands to tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets, in some cases clashing with authorities, resulting in at least six deaths. Protests continued to grow over the coming days, and amidst promises by the president to rework his tax plan, they culminated into a large protest on 1 May, International Workers' Day. On 2 May, President Duque declared that he would fully withdraw his new tax plan, though no new concrete plans were announced. Despite policy adjustments, protests continued, fueled by intense crackdowns and reports of police brutality.[52] By 21 May, protesters had alleged more than 2,000 instances of police brutality, including 27 cases of sexual violence, and around 200 people had been reported missing.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Human Rights Watch noted abuses by police against protesters, while former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez called on the people to support the actions of police and soldiers during the protests.[53]

Dominican Republic protests 2020 in Santo Domingo, Plaza de la Bandera.

The 2020 protests in the Dominican Republic, also known as the youth movement, comprise a series of massive congregations, both in the Dominican Republic and internationally, which took place from Sunday, February 16 to Thursday, March 12. of 2020, as a result of the Central Electoral Board suspending municipal elections for the first time in the entire history of national democracy. This decision was due to "errors" presented by electronic voting in the polling stations of 18 municipalities of the country, during the elections, in which around 62% of the votes were concentrated, despite the fact that manual votes, which were also applied in those demarcations, were being carried out without problems.

The suspension of the elections generated discontent that transcended all social sectors. A group of young people, through their social media accounts, called on all Dominicans to congregate in the Plaza de la Bandera, becoming the largest manifestation in the country in recent national history, among those called by civil society. In this way, pressure was sought on the authorities, first of all, so that they resigned, going on to an investigation of what happened, the culprits were punished, and subsequent transparent elections were held.

The 2019 Ecuadorian protests were a series of protests and riots against austerity measures including the cancellation of fuel subsidies, adopted by President of Ecuador Lenín Moreno and his administration.[54][55] Organized protests ceased after indigenous groups and the Ecuadorian government reached a deal to reverse the austerity measures, beginning a collaboration on how to combat overspending and public debt.[56]

The 2020 Salvadoran protests is minor protests by workers, unions, doctors and students calling for the resignation of president Nayib Bukele over the 2020 Salvadoran political crisis and murder, unpaid wages and delay of payments, internet services, working conditions, crime and many more issues in El Salvador. Protesters wore Wichita cloth and have reportedly erected roadblocks and have blockaded small highways, university students led marches from 15 to 16 July and nurses led strikes from 13 to 15 May. Discontent with arbitrary arrests began in late-March against no food or jobs, leading poor citizens to protest and unrest against the arrests of survivors have been ongoing. In March-April, small groups of old and middle-class men have held protests against no work or housing in San Salvador.[57][58][59]

Protests began in cities throughout Haiti on 7 July 2018 in response to increased fuel prices. Over time, these protests evolved into demands for the resignation of Jovenel Moïse, the former president of Haiti. Led by opposition politician Jean-Charles Moïse (no relation), protesters state that their goal is to create a transitional government, provide social programs, and prosecute allegedly corrupt officials. The protests and civil unrest that paralysed Haiti hit hard. Since the 14 January protest, hundreds of thousands have taken part in weekly protests calling for the government to resign.[60][61][62][63]

The 2019 protests in Honduras corresponded to a series of protests and riots that occurred in October, that called for the resignation of President Juan Orlando Hernández; this as a direct consequence of the trial on drug trafficking charges against his brother Tony Hernández, carried out in the United States. These protests first were against the privatisation of health and education then soon turned into an anti-government revolt that has killed dozens of people.[64]

The 2021 Paraguayan protests are mass protests and violent demonstrations against the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Paraguay, calling for the resignation of Mario Abdo Benítez and his entire cabinet. The demonstrations left hundreds injured and many critically wounded after citizen protests and looting across the country. It resulted in the resignation of health minister Julio Mazzoleni.[65][66]

Protests in Lima for a parliamentary coup on November 12, 2020. Demonstration in Plaza San Martín.

he 2020 Peruvian protests were a series of demonstrations sparked after the removal of President Martín Vizcarra, beginning on 9 November 2020.[67]

The controversial removal of Vizcarra was recognized as a coup d'état by many Peruvians,[68][69] political analysts[70] and media outlets in the country.[71][72][73][74][75] Protests were registered in several cities of the country, to show their outrage at the president's vacancy and reject the inauguration of the president of Congress, Manuel Merino.[76] Upon taking office, Merino formed a far-right government.[77][78][79]

The protests have been described as the largest demonstrations in Peru in the past two decades and are organized by grassroots groups of young Peruvians on social media.[80] The disproportional response by authorities has been condemned by various human rights organizations, including United Nations Peru, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and Amnesty International.[81][82]

After reports that 2 protesters were killed by authorities on 14 November, the majority of ministers from Merino's government resigned from office while Merino resigned the following day; he was president for five days.[83] Along with the aftermath of 2 dead, hundreds were left injured and over 40 citizens were reported as missing and authorities have refused to investigate further.[84] On 16 November, the Congress of Peru elected Francisco Sagasti as the president of the legislature, automatically elevating him to the Peruvian presidency under the constitution.[85]

Protesters in San Juan, marching from Milla de Oro in Hato Rey to the Hiram Bithorn Stadium. Residente, Bad Bunny and Ricky Martin (center, L–R) were among many public figures that demanded Rosselló's resignation.

Telegramgate, also known as Chatgate or RickyLeaks,[86][87] was a political scandal involving Ricardo Rosselló, then Governor of Puerto Rico, which began on July 8, 2019, with the leak of hundreds of pages of a group chat on the messaging application Telegram between Rosselló and members of his cabinet. The messages were considered vulgar, racist, and homophobic toward several individuals and groups, and discussed how they would use the media to target potential political opponents. The leak came in the midst of allegations by former Secretary of Treasury of Puerto Rico, Raúl Maldonado Gautier, that his department boasted an "institutional mafia" that Rosselló was involved in. The leaks also came a year after a previous scandal, dubbed WhatsApp Gate, involving other members of Rosselló's cabinet.[88]

Mass protests arose, reaching up to 1,000,000 people at a single event on July 17.[89] On July 22, up to a million protesters[90] shut down the Expreso Las Américas, an 11-lane highway.[91][92][93] While several of his staff have resigned in the wake,[93] Rosselló initially refused to resign as governor and simply resigned as president of the governing pro-statehood New Progressive Party on July 21 and said he would not seek re-election in the 2020 Puerto Rico gubernatorial election. By July 22, there had been eleven consecutive days of protests, near La Fortaleza, the Governor's residence in San Juan. On July 24, Rosselló announced that he would resign as governor on August 2.[91][93] On August 2, Pedro Pierluisi, former Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico was sworn in immediately after Rosselló left office, but was later ordered by the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico to abandon, since his swearing-in was not constitutional. Ultimately, the Secretary of Justice of Puerto Rico, Wanda Vázquez Garced, who was initially reluctant to take office, was sworn in as Governor of Puerto Rico. She became the second woman to assume the office and the first person to take over the position by succession and not by a democratic election.