'Put out the fires': Peru's Generation Z carries its anger over extortion and wildfires through Lima

What happened

From 4 p.m. participants gathered in Plaza San Martín; an hour later the march moved along Jirón de la Unión and Avenidas Grau and Abancay through the historic centre. It was called by the 'Generación Z' movement and joined by students from San Marcos and Católica universities, unions, human rights groups and relatives of people killed in the 2022 and 2023 protests. The outlet El Búho counted about a thousand people.

The demands: firm action against extortion and contract killings, which hit transport workers in particular, an effective response to the wildfires, relief on living costs, police reform and justice for those killed in 2022/23. According to official figures cited by teleSUR, the fires caused 479 emergencies in 16 regions, with 12 deaths and more than 13,800 hectares of natural land burned.

Police prevented protesters from reaching the Congress building. Reports mention no clashes; the march ended around 10 p.m. The reports record no official government response to the protest.

The mood on the ground

Carrying flags and banners, participants called 'Apaguen los incendios' (put out the fires) and demanded urgent police reform. Chants targeted President Fujimori directly, alongside the cry that there is no victory without struggle.

How bitterly many view the crisis response is captured in a voice recorded by Correo: a young woman said, in essence, that it took the rain to put out the fires. Relatives of those killed in 2022 and 2023 carried photos of their loved ones and denounced continued impunity.

The tone of the coverage differs: Correo and El Búho describe a peaceful, determined protest, while the left-wing network teleSUR frames it clearly as a reckoning with the government.

Voices from the media