Escalating political tension sees protestors clash with counterprotesters at march for Bolivia’s ex-President Morales
PBS NewsHourSep 18
Bolivia: Ex-President's Imminent Arrest Triggers Protests
Above: A person holds a poster of former Pres. Evo Morales during a mobilization protest in La Paz, Bolivia, on Sept. 23, 2024. Image copyright: Gaston Brito/Contributor/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Supporters of former Bolivian Pres. Evo Morales blocked two main roads and clashed with police on Monday, as they took to the streets to protest his looming arrest in connection with statutory rape and human trafficking charges.
Demonstrators said that the blockades would continue indefinitely, and spread from the central department of Cochabamba — Morales' current location — to the entire country in the coming days.
The Spin
Narrative A
Arce has weaponized the judicial system against Morales and the popular movement he was expected to represent in a desperate move to stay in office amid an acute economic crisis. Let alone the fact that any case such as this should be handled in Cochabamba, these allegations against Morales are baseless.
Narrative B
Morales and his supporters are crying foul and playing the victim over an appropriate response to the fact that someone who was summoned to testify, failed to appear before the prosecution. This is clearly not personal against Morales, as it is not only about him but the alleged victim and her parents.