The pulse of Peru's youth threatens entrenched power

"Jean Villanueva's father is a bus ticket collector in Lima, working on one of those vehicles that move amid honking horns and fear. He is one of the targets of the mafias that collect extortion fees from ticket checkers and drivers people who, like so many others, leave home every day without knowing if they will return. Pessimism and weariness are spreading in Peru, but Villanueva, a 29-year-old accountant, prefers not to wait for the country to change on its own."

"He is shouting. He is clenching his fists. He is always on the front lines. He is convinced that young Peruvians are the only ones who can restore hope to the country. His generation, the one that fills the streets of cities around the world, has grown tired of waiting. We need new leadership, says Villanueva at a Starbucks in downtown Lima. A little over a month ago, the table where he sits was covered in a cloud of tear gas."

"Police used clubs to chase protesters into this open-air shopping center. He still bears the marks from that day on his hands, buttocks, and head. I was carrying a megaphone, exercising my legitimate right to protest, and the police came at me and threw me to the ground, he recalls. Violence against protesters has become a constant in recent years, with more than 50 deaths since 2022."

Jean Villanueva's father works as a bus ticket collector in Lima and faces mafias that extort fees from ticket checkers and drivers, creating daily danger for commuters and workers. Villanueva, a 29-year-old accountant, leads street protests and organizes on the front lines despite police repression and injuries from tear gas and beatings. Violence against protesters has intensified, with more than 50 deaths since 2022. Young people under 30 across many countries are mobilizing through social media, adopting shared symbols and demanding new leadership, better public services, and an end to corruption. Pessimism and weariness are spreading in Peru, but activists remain determined to force immediate change.

Read at english.elpais.com