Fact Check: Video of a military vehicle running over protesters is not from Peru
Recently, one of the seven wonders of the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Machu Picchu was shut down temporarily for tourists due to anti-government protests in Peru.
Recently, one of the seven wonders of the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Machu Picchu was shut down temporarily for tourists due to anti-government protests in Peru. The protests began last month after former President Pedro Castillo was impeached and subsequently arrested when he announced his plan to dissolve the Congress. Protests began demanding fresh elections and calling for the new President, Dina Boluarte, to stand down. (Read more here)
Following this, a video of a military vehicle running over a huge crowd of people is being shared on Twitter claiming to be from the ongoing protests. (View tweet here)
FACT CHECK:
A reverse search led us to several reports from 2019 that indicated the viral video is neither recent nor linked to current protests in Peru.
According to a report by CBS News, in 2019, tensions escalated in Venezuela after the country's opposition leader and National Assembly President Juan Guaidó called for the military to protest against the leftist government of Nicolás Maduro. Guaidó called on the Venezuelan armed forces to stage an uprising. This led to clashes in the capital and other parts of the country between civilians and soldiers.
A report by Global News shows military vehicles running over pro-Juan Guidao protestors outside La Carlota military base in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela.
According to Reuters, on April 30, 2019, a Venezuelan National Guard vehicle ran over protesters who were throwing stones and damaging vehicles after the opposition leader Juan Guaido called members of the military to stand up in the opposition.
OHCHR spokesperson, Marta Hurtado, said in a statement that the violence against demonstrators had allegedly resulted in dozens being injured. In light of this, the United Nations urged both sides to use “maximum restraint” to avoid any violence.
https://news.un.org/en/story/
While the situation in Peru is turning tense by the day, this video of a military vehicle running over protestors is not linked to the ongoing agitation there.
