OCTOBER 7TH PROTESTS ATTRACT FEW

C O N F I D E N T I A L LIMA 001638 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR PE SUBJECT: OCTOBER 7TH PROTESTS ATTRACT FEW REF: LIMA 1603 Classified By: DCM James Nealon for reasons 1.4b and d. ¶1. (U) National strikes on October 7th organized by the Communist union CGTP failed to attract wide-spread support (Reftel) and were almost completely overshadowed by the oil-for-contracts scandal that hit the GOP this week (Septel). According to press reports, small, largely peaceful marches occurred in cities across Peru, with no incidents of serious clashes with police. Several thousand protestors marched in downtown Lima, and some students threw rocks and bottles until police broke up the gathering with tear gas. None of the strikes appear to have had a broader impact. Comment: Not Out of the Woods Yet -------------- ¶2. (C) Although the minimal size of the October 7th protests is encouraging in the run-up to APEC, protest leaders continue to promise larger demonstrations in November. One Embassy contact with ties to social movements described October 7th as merely a practice run for APEC protests. A contact at the Bolivian Embassy, which also has close ties to Peruvian leftist groups, told Poloff (before the protests) that he expected October 7th to be small because opposition leaders are focused on the November 4th "Assembly of the Peoples" gathering, and a large November 11th protest. MCKINLEY