2005 Guatemalan protests
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The 2005 Guatemalan protests were mass street protests and violent anti-
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protests after the president
Óscar Berger Óscar José Rafael Berger Perdomo (; born 11 August 1946) is a Guatemalan politician who served as the President of Guatemala from 2004 to 2008. Early years and family Berger was born to an upper-class family with large sugar and coffee hol ...
signed the Central America Free Trade Agreement with the
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in March-April 2005.


Protests

Protests occurred against it, and the opposition vowed to step up protests calling for the resignation of Óscar Berger. The protesters claimed it will harm farmers and businesses from running, and sparked nation-wide protests, leaving police to disperse crowds of protesters in
Guatemala City Guatemala City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, ne ...
. Demonstrations intensified on the 4th day of daily street protests, when nonviolent demonstrations turned violent after protesters banged pots and pelted stones at the
Riot police Riot police are police who are organized, deployed, trained or equipped to confront crowds, protests or riots. Riot police may be regular police who act in the role of riot police in particular situations or they may be separate units organize ...
in
Guatemala City Guatemala City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, ne ...
, who responded with killing one protester. Weeks of street protests swelled. The protesters want a referendum on the Central American Free Trade Agreement (Cafta), as well as the resignation of the interior minister and police chief. One more protester was killed during the sixth day of protests after
Riot police Riot police are police who are organized, deployed, trained or equipped to confront crowds, protests or riots. Riot police may be regular police who act in the role of riot police in particular situations or they may be separate units organize ...
used
tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ...
and
water cannon A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-velocity stream of water. Typically, a water cannon can deliver a large volume of water, often over dozens of meters. They are used in firefighting, large vehicle washing, riot control, and mining ...
to dispel the marchers, some of whom were throwing rocks and bottles at them. The participants in the protest movement and street demonstrations was indigenous farmers, trade unions and students.


See also

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Guatemalan Civil War The Guatemalan Civil War was a civil war in Guatemala fought from 1960 to 1996 between the government of Guatemala and various leftist rebel groups. The government forces have been condemned for committing genocide against the Maya population of ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guatalmalan protests, 2005 Protests in Guatemala 2005 in Guatemala 2005 protests