ANTI-SUMMIT PEACEFUL, GENERAL SECURITY A SUCCESS

C O N F I D E N T I A L LIMA 000895 SIPDIS USDA/FAS FOR OGA/DWYER AND OCRA/ZANIN E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/21/2018 TAGS: PGOV ASEC REL PINR PE SUBJECT: ANTI-SUMMIT PEACEFUL, GENERAL SECURITY A SUCCESS REF: LIMA 745 Classified By: POL/C ALEXIS LUDWIG FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) ¶1. (C) Summary: The "Summit of the Peoples" anti-summit (May 13-16) that coincided with the Latin America and Caribbean - European Union Summit (EU-LAC) last week proceeded peacefully despite government concern. The anti-summit attracted thousands of social movement leaders from Peru, Latin America and Europe to participate in three days of workshops on themes critical of imperialism, "neoliberalism", multinational corporations, etc. The dozens of protests planned around the country during the summit failed to materialize, and in general government security forces did an effective and efficient job. End Summary. Peaceful Anti-Summit -------------- ¶2. (C) The "Summit of the Peoples" anti-summit remained entirely peaceful despite attracting crowds of disaffected Peruvians and others. Anti-summit events reportedly drew more than the 8,000 participants organizers had anticipated. Attendees participated in a series of workshops focusing on topics such as human rights, indigenous movements, poverty and exclusion, social mobilization, etc. At the end of the anti-summit, the "Permanent Tribunal of the Peoples" issued a "ruling" condemning 24 multinationals of abusive labor practices and exploiting "the peoples'" natural resources. The week closed with a May 16 rally -- billed as a "mass meeting" -- that drew approximately 1,000 people. Bolivian President Evo Morales and former Peruvian presidential candidate Ollanta Humala headlined this event with the standard passionate speeches praising Cuba and Venezuela and criticizing the United States. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, notably, did not appear at the rally despite the expectations of organizers. Nationwide Protests Fail to Materialize -------------- ¶3. (C) The dozens of protests threatened around the country for summit week did not materialize. Although the Public Ministry reported 40 peaceful protests nationwide and eight roadblocks, the vast majority were small and hardly made the press. The only significant event took place in Puno region in the south, where protestors disrupted traffic and threw rocks that reportedly killed one bystander. Security Tight in Lima and the Provinces -------------- ¶4. (C) Security forces locked down parts of Lima during the principle days of the summit with a robust and visible police presence particularly near the event sites and hotels. Several months before the EU-LAC summit, a group of Peruvian police traveled to Sydney with support from State Department's Diplomatic Security Anti-Terrorism Assistance program (DS/ATA) to learn best practices from the Australian experience with APEC in 2007. The impact of these consultations and other DS/ATA training was evident in venue access controls, motorcade security and general operational methods and procedures. ¶5. (C) Our sources tell us that the police had a plan to stop and inspect buses transporting anti-summit participants from the provinces in order to prevent potential agitators from reaching Lima. According to press, at least one bus headed for the summit was turned back while attempting to cross the border from Bolivia. In another preventative measure, the government in February arrested seven Peruvians that according to GOP intelligence services were planning disturbances during anti-summit protests. (Ref A. Two have already been released.) During the summit, however, the police only arrested 12 people suspected of planning summit disturbances, 10 of whom were later released. Comment: -------------- ¶6. (C) We are generally encouraged by the Peruvian security forces' solid efforts during the EU-LAC summit and believe these bode well for APEC in November. The USG has a series of security training modules planned for the Peruvian police between now and November to help ensure that all goes well. NEALON