"SUMMIT OF THE PEOPLES" COUNTER-SUMMIT LAUNCHED

C O N F I D E N T I A L LIMA 000845 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/13/2018 TAGS: PGOV REL PINR PE SUBJECT: "SUMMIT OF THE PEOPLES" COUNTER-SUMMIT LAUNCHED REF: A. LIMA 480 ¶B. LIMA 745 Classified By: POL/C ALEXIS LUDWIG FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) ¶1. (C) Summary: Peruvian leftist groups and European NGOs on May 13th launched a four-day-long Summit of the Peoples as a counterpoint to the European Union-Latin America and Caribbean Summit (May 13th-17th). The main event will be a rally on May 16th attended by Bolivian President Evo Morales and Peruvian opposition leader Ollanta Humala. The GOP's main concern remains that radicals intent on embarrassing the government will infiltrate an otherwise peaceful, democratic event and seek confrontations with police. Security will be tight across Lima all week. End Summary. Leftist Groups and NGOs Launch Counter-Summit -------------- ¶2. (C) Peruvian leftist groups and European NGOs on May 13th launched a four-day-long Summit of the Peoples as a counterpoint to the European Union-Latin America and Caribbean Summit. This counter-summit, which organizers have been planning for more than a year (Ref A),will feature a series of workshops, panel discussions, cultural events, and a "Permanent Tribunal of the People" that will "pass judgment" on European and Latin American governments and multi-national corporations for their violations of human rights. At the end of the counter-summit, participants will issue a declaration condemning imperialism, neoliberalism, and Peruvian President Alan Garcia, according to an internal planning document. Events will take place at the National Engineering University, far from the site of the actual summit. ¶3. (C) Organizers hope to draw over 20,000 people to a rally on the evening of May 16th to close the counter-summit, according to Miguel Angel de la Puente (protect),an Embassy contact who has participated in several planning meetings. De la Puente told poloffs that Bolivian President Evo Morales, a Cuban government representative, and Peruvian opposition leader and former presidential candidate Ollanta Humala will address the rally. Ecuador's Ambassador has publicly denied claims that President Rafael Correa will also appear, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's participation remains unconfirmed. The rally will be held in a downtown plaza, blocks from the presidential palace, but miles from the official summit site. According to De la Puente, all of these events have been coordinated with the government and security should be tight. The Threat of Violence and Nationwide Protest -------------- ¶4. (C) The GOP's main concern remains that radicals intent on embarrassing the government will infiltrate an otherwise peaceful, democratic event and seek confrontations with police (refs A & B). Some analysts have speculated that a recent violent student protest against a road construction project at San Marcos University -- a hotbed of radicalism -- was actually a trial run for clashes during the summit. Protestors injured several police and burned a patrol car; police briefly detained 24 students. The GOP is also concerned about a series of strikes announced by social movements around the country. According to press reports, several groups have threatened to launch a general strike on May 14-15 in Cusco, Puno, Arequipa, Tacna, Moquegua, Ayacucho, and Tacna. A national mining strike scheduled for May 12 was postponed for several weeks after the government agreed to discuss key mining union demands. Security Tight -------------- ¶5. (C) The GOP has deployed thousands of police across the city and set up road barriers near hotels and at the Museo de la Nacion, the main summit site. Security will increase progressively throughout the week until the heads of state arrive on May 16th, when key roads will be completely shut down, according to press reports. GOP security services are coordinating closely with our EU Mission counterparts, and Government Ministers remain relatively confident that security measures will be sufficient to the task. MCKINLEY