An angry protesting woman violently grabbed the President of Peru, Dina Boluarte on Saturday, January 20, 2024 during an event in the Southern Ayacucho region.
TV footage from local media in Peru showed how Boluarte was surrounded by people during the event as a woman who was shouting, forced through the crowd and grabbed the president.
Nobody was not injured during the incident as police responded immediately to separate the woman from the President.
The security personnel managed to restore order, and the event went on as planned with the president addressing the citizens later.
Speaking to the media shortly after the incident, the angry woman accused the president of being responsible for the death of her husband during the December 2022 protests in Ayacucho.
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This was after the mass anti-government protests a year ago in Ayacucho led to the death of 10 people, as police clashed with demonstrators.
In addition, protests broke out in different parts of the country, as residents demanded for Boluarte to step down for fresh elections to be held.
According to Human Rights Watch, more than 50 people were killed during the protests in Peru, as police used force to control demonstrators.
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Meanwhile, the Human Rights Watch accused the government of extrajudicial killings, as several cases were filed in courts over the same.
After the incident on Saturday, Interior Minister Victor Torres stated that disciplinary action will be taken against police officers in charge of the president’s security, adding that bodyguards will be sacked.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Alberto Otarola condemned the attack on the Head of State.
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“This unfortunate event endangered the safety of the Head of State and is extremely serious. With violence, we all lose as a country,” Otarola noted in a statement on his X account.
Boluarte took over power in March 2018 after former president Pedro Castillo attempted to dissolve congress. As a result, President Castillo was removed from office and arrested.
