Thousands of miners marched through La Paz on Thursday demanding labor reforms, fuel, and explosives access, with some detonating dynamite as police deployed tear gas.
2:03 PM
Thousands of Bolivian miners clashed with police in La Paz on Thursday during a large-scale protest against the government, with demonstrators setting off small charges of dynamite amid escalating nationwide unrest.
The march, which began in the city of El Alto and advanced toward La Paz, was led by mining cooperatives demanding labor reforms, fuel supplies, and greater access to explosives for their operations. As the protest progressed through downtown La Paz, miners began chanting slogans calling for the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz. Some protesters were reported as attempting to breach the presidential palace.
Police responded to the demonstrations by discharging tear gas at the marchers. The use of small dynamite charges has become increasingly common during the second week of nationwide unrest, with miners detonating sticks of dynamite and activating petardos during the march. Some miners responded with physical confrontations and insults toward bystanders who questioned the protest.
The demonstration caused significant disruption to the capital. Vehicle circulation was interrupted for several hours, and commercial establishments closed during the march. The protest is part of broader unrest that has gripped Bolivia over recent weeks, with miners, farmers, teachers, transport workers, indigenous people, and rural workers taking to the streets.
The initial trigger for the demonstrations was farmers demanding the repeal of a law permitting land mortgages, but the protests have since expanded to encompass demands from multiple sectors expressing frustration over the country's ongoing economic crisis, described as the worst in decades. Road blockades have persisted for weeks as various groups voice their grievances against the government.
Ladislao Prado, president of the Federation of Mining Cooperatives of La Paz, characterized the miners' demands as "just demands." The unrest has resulted in repeated standoffs between demonstrators and police across the country as tensions continue to simmer over Bolivia's economic turmoil.
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