Protesters in Peru clash with police and burn US flag (VIDEO)

Hundreds of Peruvians protested on the streets of the country’s capital, Lima, on Thursday, denouncing President Dina Boluarte’s government and its inability to tackle organized crime. The protests took place as over a dozen world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden, arrived in the country for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, set to begin on Friday.

Earlier this week, Peruvian transport unions announced a 72-hour strike and called for protests to demand greater efforts to tackle extortion of transport companies and the murder of drivers by organized crime groups. They were joined by the General Confederation of Workers of Peru, the largest workers’ union in the country.

Videos posted online showed activists chanting slogans against Boluarte’s administration and its failure to provide adequate security measures. A previous wave of protests in September led Peruvian authorities to declare a 60-day state of emergency in Lima to tackle the violence, although activists claimed these efforts were not enough. They also said they wanted Thursday’s protests to coincide with the APEC forum in order to draw international attention to Peru’s domestic troubles.

“We are being extorted every day, we are tired of it. Peru does not have a good international image, that is why we are here,” protester Madeleine Rojas told AFP.

“We want the international community to know that they are killing us, there is no policy to fight organized crime and public insecurity head-on,” Walter Carrera, president of the National Association of Transporters (Asotrani), who also took part in the protests, told the media.

Meanwhile, protesters also denounced Peru’s cooperation with APEC and claimed that the country doesn’t benefit from its involvement in the bloc. Footage showed activists burning US flags and waving banners that read “Get out, imperialist Yankees,” “APEC trash looters out,” and “APEC accomplices to dictatorship.”

According to local media reports, the demonstrators tried to march to the Lima Convention Center where the APEC Forum was set to be held, but were stopped by police. The standoff resulted in violent clashes.

Despite the protests, Peruvian authorities said they planned to hold the APEC events as scheduled. The government has activated a contingent of 13,000 police officers to guarantee the security of the forum.