Why Peruvian President Pedro Castillo’s Removal From Office IS INDEED A COUP
Many are incorrectly stating Castillo tried to push a coup, ignoring that a coup was set against him since day one by historically neoliberal, far-right, western-backed, factions in the country.
Pedro Castillo of Peru Libre won his election held on June 6, 2021 clinching 50.12% of the vote against pro multi-national corporation & pro Western, right-wing (neoliberal) candidate for Fuerza Popular, Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former President & dictator Alberto Fujimori.
Alberto Fujimori, her father & clear influence in her politics, is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence for human rights abuses he enacted as President under the guidance of the CIA, particularly under his right-hand man, Vladimiro Montesinos. Montesinos & the CIA were to oust the “Shining Path”, a Maoist guerrilla group turned radical, using funds to fight their “reign of terror.” Instead they ended up personally enriching themselves & sanctioning state murders & forced mass sterilizations on indigenous women.
On April 5, 1992, Alberto Fujimori staged a coup in the country, dissolving congress and dismantling the judicial system (I’ll return to this). The government took control of all media & free institutions, proclaiming a return to normalcy within a year, which did not occur. On July 18, 1992, as an offensive to Fujimori, the Shining Path set off two car bombs in the wealthy district of Miraflores in Lima, killing 18 people and wounding 140 others. Fujimori’s administration had failed to relieve Peru’s economic depression even with a U.S. backed dictatorship. A reported 4.5 million people were living in dire poverty lacking electricity, water & basic needs. According to The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, an estimated 70,000 were killed as a result of the civil war between the government and the Shining Path. Bear with me here.
So who were the Shining Path? The Maoist guerrilla group began with then professor Abimael Guzman in the 60s when he taught philosophy at San Cristóbal of Huamanga University & recruited young academics from rural regions, teaching them about left-wing politics including communism. Their power dynamic was heavily centralized, focusing on Guzman with almost religious reverence rather than a usual decentralized, cell-based structure. But the rural, indigenous populations were already suffering drastically with exploitation, wealth inequality, land confiscation, racism and discrimination.
Since colonial times Peru has been a largely racist country, especially against the indigenous class. Years of unanswered pleas radicalized the population and by the 1980s Guzman launched his campaign to overthrow the Peruvian government and establish a dictatorship of the peasantry. This is all key to understanding TODAY, especially in regard to why neoliberalism is so strong, even among the working class of Lima. The group set up military schools to train recruits on tactics and weaponry, and by this time the rural peasantry had enough. Since they focused on rural regions, the jungle and mountains, they were in direct opposition to more urban and conservative regions in Peru.
So began a civil war that lasted until the early 2000s, with the group targeting mayors, governors, bureaucrats, police and local politicians. By 1983 Sendero Luminoso focused on land-owning peasants and state agency heads, using violence and threats of abduction for subjugation. They then launched attacks against local organizers, left-wing activists, and liberal intellectuals, who they saw as complicit in maintaining the status quo. This pushed away many Peruvians who did not want to embrace the “violent” route. So when many peasants in rural provinces lost their lands and economic means they often turned on the group.
During this time, the Alan Garcia & subsequent Fujimori administration used bribery and intimidation tactics to go after local citizens for more information on The Shining Path. The Garcia & the Belaúnde government before it both tortured and randomly assassinated citizens- mostly peasants-for their alleged backing of the group even if the accusations had no merit. Stick with me because this is where I make more key connections to Peru’s politics of today.
The “ronderos'' were key in defending the rural peasantry against attacks from both The Shining Path and government. Pedro Castillo is known as a “rondero,” coming from the modest, rural region of “Cajamarca,” and was also a former teacher and strike leader-rare in Peruvian politics. His politics and indigenous, working class origins stand diametrically opposed to Keiko’s and the current, largely far-right Peruvian congress which embraces western ideology, big business, and corporate structure. His campaign slogan was, “No more poor people in a rich country!” His intent was to keep more of the money created in Peru inside the country, as about 70% of the wealth created is exported to foreign nations and their investors. He proposed the nationalization of certain economic sectors, specifically in mining, gas, oil and hydroelectric tech.
Note that Peru’s city of Puno, bordering Bolivia, sits on recently discovered 2.5 million tons of lithium. Castillo threatened to create a new Constitution free of the “Fujimorismo” he said does not represent the people & wanted to reduce the salaries of wealthy business owners.
He clearly posed a threat to the establishment and they knew it from the start. Keiko boasted of “free-market” privatization, especially in Peru’s mining sector. Her platform wanted to “boost” Peru’s economy via big business and foreign investors who spent millions on her campaign. She was and remains under investigation for corruption and money laundering during her previous election campaigns, among other accusations. Many questioned how she was even allowed to run. But in spite of her failed allegations of election fraud which carried no validity, she lost. I say this as someone who follows elections all over the world particularity in the US and Latin America. Peru’s elections are full of a clear chain of custody, paper ballots, public counting and clear, transparent process. I dive into all this here.
Anyway she and her party “Fuerza Popular” remain largely influential in Peruvian politics. From the moment Castillo was sworn in on July 28, 2021, Peru’s Independence Day, the majority right-wing congress has been trying to get Castillo out, under the guise of corruption charges.
For months congress accused Castillo of corruption while the former president denied them. A few months into his presidency there were attempts to impeach him with evidence leading to congress members using support from Europe to do so. They also prevented him from traveling. Castillo could not attend the inauguration of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, because the plenary of the Peruvian Congress decided he might flee the country, since they slapped him with a criminal tax investigations for alleged corruption crimes. He was also denied permission to go to Europe and Mexico to attend the Pacific Alliance Summit, based on these charges. He is now the 6th ousted PRESIDENT in the country in 7 YEARS. All of them have been slapped with corruption charges and ended up in jail, at least for some time.
What people need to understand is that in Peru, congress has far too much power. Presidents basically need their approval to do anything. And congress in Peru as mentioned is dominated by the neoliberal, pro-West factions that made it impossible for Castillo to get anything done.
A common tactic used in Peru is to plant evidence using the bought media, buying off politicians and police officers, and framing people of crimes or washing crimes off of an actual criminal. Whatever is needed to maintain power. It happens all the time and he had a target on his back. A common thread we’ve seen launched at leaders who threaten the establishment. Lula da Silva was arrested in 2018 on corruption charges (Operation Carwash) with US backing when he was about to run for office. He was later found innocent of all charges but many don’t know still. VP of Argentina, Cristina Kirchner is facing 6 yrs in prison and a lifelong ban from holding public office for fraud charges. She’s denied the charges and will appeal. Note she was favored to win in Argentina’s 2023 presidential elections, and was victim of an attempted assassination. Imran khan of Pakistan has also been accused of corruption and has had assassination attempts against him, which he and others alluded came with western backing. He has denied the charges and said they’re being used to stop him from running. Khan is highly popular with the people of Pakistan.
However, Castillo made several mistakes, landing him as weak, even by some supporters. He went in with a knife but when he got in, he tried to please everybody and it clearly didn’t work out. He became estranged from Peru Libre and refused to get closer to the left that put him in office. He failed to build upon and strengthen social movements, peasants, rural workers and use their support to his advantage, instead trying to work with the right-wing, pro west factions that were never going to accept him or his cooperation in good faith. Their aim was for him to GO.
From messages I’ve seen from neoliberals in Lima, Miami and how they talked about Castillo, he wasn’t just disliked for his politics but because he represented the poor. Peruvians are largely, especially in Lima and similar to countries like Brazil, ashamed of the poor, peasant class. Call it a form of self-hatred, an inferiority complex that I’ve noticed in MANY non-western nations, or a remnant of colonialism, they see peasantry as failure, the indigenous as backward. The rural people are less than. It’s a mentality that’s kept Peru from KNOWING its history. Bolivia in contrast has largely embraced and understands their history. Though as you’ve probably noticed in the coverage of the 2019 coup, it has its fascist elements that are always in the corners attempting to come back, especially as if this year. But I digress. I’ll end now..
Without knowing all of this Castillo’s attempt to dissolve congress and establish a national emergency might seem authoritarian, but knowing ALL of this context he knew this was a coup against him and this was his Hail Mary. You could see his paper shake as he made this announcement.
He should have done this sooner in my opinion, but with of course the backing of movements and building coalitions in the military and police. We’ve learned from history and Bolivia’s coup against Evo Morales comes to mind again, that you can’t protect yourself without an army of support. By doing this congressional dissolution in this way though he fell into the trap of being framed by congress, misinformed Peruvians, and the majority of the international media as the one pushing a coup, when the coup that had long been engineered against him was finally peaking. Remember that Fujimori also dissolved congress but clearly as a dictator trying to control all aspects of government, not as pushback to a coup attempt. Ironically this coup against Castillo is being waged by the majority of fujimoristas in congress. But without understanding the context of everything that’s happened, ignorance will make a despot out of Castillo, as was intended by the actual despots.
The OAS & Luis Almagro immediately of course recognized Peru's VP, who was ousted from the Peru Libre party and also faced her own corruption scandal. Her swearing in was set for the same time that the OAS Permanent Council met to discuss “the situation in Peru.”
Castillo has been offered asylum in Mexico by AMLO, and when he tried to get to the Mexican embassy the far-right neoliberal Peruvian elite & their propagandized minions tried to prevent him from doing so.
Evo Morales is one of the few who gets this entire context, and rightfully understands it’s a coup. Perhaps because he shares similar origins of rural peasant class as Castillo and perhaps because of the cultural similarities the two countries share. He said, “we verify once again that the Peruvian oligarchy and the US empire do not accept that union and indigenous leaders reach the government to work for the people…Right-wing enemies of the people do not accept anti-imperialist governments”. He continued in another tweet, “The political crisis that affects the brotherly Peruvian people, especially deep Peru, was caused by the permanent conspiracy of the Fujimori right-wing and right-wing media against a government elected at the polls whose ‘unforgivable crime’ was representing the poorest. And finally among tiger thunder he said, “As we warned, the hybrid war of the international right has perpetrated two coups against governments of the people in the last 48 hours. They began with the judicial coup against…Cristina Kirchner & continued with the congressional vacancy against…Pedro Castillo”.
Apologies for this unbelievably long thread, as I’ve seen way too many people speak about this without historical context and as you all know we can’t speak about wars or issues that began years ago as if they began today. It makes for inaccurate reporting, analysis and allows for revisionism.
So yes I resent anyone not calling this a coup. IT IS A COUP. It’s a coup against the people of Peru, more than against Castillo. A coup orchestrated by the global elite, right wing neoliberal factions trying to privatize Peru’s rich resources that belong to its people.
But he’s hardly the first victim and will likely not be the last in a country so self-hating and propagandized by its corrupt media, and love for westernization. To free themselves, Peruvians must first know and understand their history. Embrace indigenous roots. Understand Simon Bolivar and anti-colonialism. These factions won’t stop until they bring back Fujimorismo’s authoritarian control. Until they wipe out rural folk. Until they sell all of Peru abroad and westernize it. And when they try to do all of this, there must be firm opposition to combat it or the country will descend into full chaos.
One + thing. The specter of communism is why I mentioned the Shining Path. The group has been used to spew fear of anything remotely pro people in the country, which is why it’s been so instrumental to maintaining many urban poor in support of neoliberalism. This has to end. By the way, Castillo was by no means a “communist,” he’s left wing but more so in terms of workers and advocating for economic gains. When he took office he moved to the center as most politicians do. That is often their mistake. They must do what people who elected them need them to do.
I grew up being told TSP were the worst thing that’s ever existed. But that’s just false. Fujimorismo is what led Peru down the path to neoliberalism and corruption. Anti imperialism cannot coexist with lies from the empire & disdain for your own people at their behest.
Right now a group of Peruvians are marching in the streets of Lima to demand the closure of the right-wing majority congress that today ousted Pedro Castillo via a legislative coup. There are reports that rural communities are coming into the capital tonight. Reminder that these communities were the ones shouting, “Peru is not Lima,” referring to the fact that the forgotten peasant, rural people are a force and that force can make a difference in elections. Some of their signs read “Fujimori never again!”
Another predictable ally calling the coup in Peru what it is, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro: "They are the oligarchic elites that wont allow a simple teacher to reach the presidency of Peru to try to govern for the people."
In the last last few days thousands of people from rural Peruvian provinces outside the capital, have been coming into the city via caravans. They’re not only calling for a dissolution of congress and new elections, but also for Castillo’s releases and new presidential elections.
They believe “Fujimorismo” has returned and that the people of Peru don’t stand with that. These images are largely ignored by network media. There’s fear that there will be attacks on the protestors as clear civil unrest develops. There’s even a possibility of an emerging civil war between the urban Lima establishment and the rural populations who want this congress out.
The rural people elected Castillo, he’s one of them and to them the accusations have no merit. According to independent sources Castillo didn’t technically commit a crime, as he didn’t dissolve congress and as president he has powers to extend this during an emergency, so he’s sitting in jail for no valid, legal reason.
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“Oh how fond they are of the book of Esther, which is so beautifully attuned to their bloodthirsty, vengeful, murderous yearning and hope.” — Martin Luther
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