A farmer in Peru protesting the coup against democratically elected left-wing President Pedro Castillo explained in a viral video why she supports the overthrown leader.
“All my life, those foreigners who have governed have discriminated against us,” the woman said.
“But today, it pains them that we are governed by a teacher, a farmer, who knows how to eat boiled potatoes, who knows how to eat humble things, like us, the farmers,” she said.
A protesting Peruvian farmer tells elite, pro-coup media she supports elected President Pedro Castillo because, “All my life, those foreigners who have governed have discriminated against us”
“It pains them that we are governed by a teacher, a farmer,” who is “humble, like us” pic.twitter.com/YFHRI7Zn8m
— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) December 13, 2022
The video, which got thousands of shares on Twitter, showed a clip from Peru’s media network ATV noticias.
The presenter in the segment, Juliana Oxenford, was born in Argentina and is from a wealthy family of elite actors.
Oxenford has publicly defended the coup, attacking protesters as “vandals” and demonizing democratically elected President Castillo as a “dictator.”
A translated transcript of the conversation follows below:
PROTESTER: It is outrageous that you, as the Peruvian media, you do not support us.
We are supporting a President (Pedro Castillo) who was elected by the Peruvian people.
But no, excuse me, but you, you say that he has been these things that you are mentioning, so are you defaming him? Are you defaming our president?
PRESENTER: I would love to have the opportunity to have a conversation.
PROTESTER: I’m going to tell you something: All my life, all my life, those foreigners who have governed have discriminated against us. All of my life.
But today, it pains them that we are governed by a teacher, a farmer, who knows how to eat boiled potatoes, who knows how to eat humble things, like us, the farmers.
PRESENTER: I understand the request of those who suffer the most in this country, and maybe you are part of that group ma’am, I’m sorry.
PROTESTER: Who suffers? The ones who suffer, the ones who suffer, those who can’t bear the pain, are the right-wingers; it is the congress members. It is the congress members, but not us.
…
PRESENTER: I will never support a dictator.
PROTESTER: How much do they pay you? How much do they pay you to support the right wing?
PRESENTER: It doesn’t matter! It doesn’t matter how much they pay me! That is my own personal issue, not yours.
Rebecca Turner
2022-12-14 at 03:06
Castillo might have campaigned on the Left, but he governed as a capitalist. He “was unwilling to make any popular appeal to oppose the attempts of the far-right to oust him precisely because he is a capitalist politician entirely devoted to protecting bourgeois rule… by implementing pro-market economic policies no different from those advocated by the far-right, including lifting anti-COVID mitigations, Castillo had lost virtually all popular support. Barely a year after coming to power, U.S. and European imperialism, precisely the forces that Castillo relied on, had concluded that his presidency was not useful given his inability to maintain illusions in the prospect of social reforms and continue suppressing the class struggle.” (WSWS)
Sano-surfer
2022-12-16 at 20:43
If I understand correctly this Castillo never had a chance to do anything because he was constantly attacked by what’s called Lawfare.
On top of which. He was trained as a teacher. I suspect that he didn’t start out with plans to be President some day. So he may not have been prepared for what was thrown at him.
miguel
2022-12-14 at 12:51
la prensa peruana esta totalmente corroída por la corrupción…..
el pueblo peruano a despertado ……