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President Booker played down San Salvador’s protests against economic and judicial policies, including Bitcoin’s move.
Thousands of protesters marched in San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, to oppose the actions of President Nayib Bukele’s government, including measures to make Bitcoin legal tender in the country.
Demonstrators on Sunday included feminist groups, human rights organizations, environmentalists and members of political parties.
The protesters chanted slogans and held up signs: “Bitcoin is a fraud”, “Against dictatorship”, “Democracy is not negotiable, but to be defended” and “Enough authoritarianism”.
“People are starting to get tired of this authoritarian government, (it) is anti-democratic,” Ricardo Navarro, head of the Salvador Appropriate Technology Center, an environmental NGO, told AFP.
“His bad idea has affected the economy with Bitcoin, and he has taken us to the cliff.”
El Salvador, which has used the U.S. dollar for 20 years, became the first country in the world to legalize Bitcoin as its currency last month, and the government said this will help revitalize its troubled economy.
The authorities hope that the use of digital cryptocurrency can help the country retain the financial expenses of more than 400 million U.S. dollars lost when Salvadorans send money back home.
Such payments account for approximately 22% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
Members of the political opposition stated that their participation in Sunday’s protests was also related to other policies of Buckler and his congressional allies.
“He attacks the independence of the judiciary,” Medado Gonzalez, the former leader of the Farabondo Marti National Liberation Front Party (FMLN), told AFP, referring to the recent legislative vote to remove or hold office over 60. Judge for more than 30 years. .
“This is just what the dictatorship will do, and we don’t want this to happen in El Salvador,” Gonzalez said.
The head of the Salvadorian Trade Union Front, Wilfredo Berrios, told AFP that he participated in the protest march to oppose the privatization of water because Congress is debating a law that will guarantee access to water for the entire population and prohibit any private individuals. take over.
Booker’s reaction
Booker played down this dissatisfaction, even saying that the protesters harassed bystanders who did not participate in the march.
“In just 12 seconds, they censored the freedom of speech of the elderly, promoted the use of walkers, and tried to censor the media,” Booker wrote on Twitter, along with a section showing marchers on the street. Push on the video. “This is our objection.”
He also changed his Twitter profile to “Emperor of El Salvador.”
The obvious joke between Bukele and his Twitter profile was an update made after changing it to “Dictator of El Salvador” last month.
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