- Title: Tear gas and rocks fly through the air as protesters clash with police in Quito
- Date: 5th October 2019
- Summary: QUITO, ECUADOR (OCTOBER 4, 2019) (REUTERS) POLICE IN RIOT GEAR WALKING DOWN STREET WITH CLOUD OF TEAR GAS IN DISTANCE PROTESTERS THROWING ROCKS AT POLICE / FLAG POLICE TANK ADVANCING ON PROTESTERS / FIRING TEAR GAS VARIOUS, TEAR GAS WAFTING AS PROTESTERS CLASH WITH POLICE POLICE PUTTING OUT FIRE ON SIDEWALK POLICE ON MOTORCYCLES WITH ROADBLOCK ON STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) LOCAL RESIDENT, ULISES RUIZ, SAYING: "First off, the government should have put forward a referendum in order to take these (economic) measures which are so drastic. People are furious the authorities implemented these measures. Perhaps the government should understand that there are other measures and dialogue in order to reach the people. But, the way things are, I doubt they'll be able to fix this." PROTESTERS THROWING ROCKS POLICE FIRING TEAR GAS, VEHICLE ADVANCING ON PROTESTERS
- Embargoed: 19th October 2019 01:43
- Keywords: economic measures Ecuador tear gas rocks molotov cocktail violence clash riot Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno Protests police Quito
- Location: QUITO, ECUADOR
- City: QUITO, ECUADOR
- Country: Ecuador
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001AZTK9XJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Violent protests rocked Ecuador's capital of Quito for a second day on Friday (October 4) after demonstrators have taken to streets nationwide over the end of decades-old fuel subsidies in a government fiscal reform package worth more than $2 billion a year.
Clouds of tear gas fired by police wafted through the streets of the Andean country's capital as protesters threw molotov cocktails.
Earlier Friday, Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno said he would "not negotiate with criminals" as authorities held 350 people in jail for unrest triggered by his belt-tightening fiscal package.
The 66-year-old president has set oil producer Ecuador on a centrist path after years of leftist rule under Rafael Correa and is implementing austerity measures to conform with a three-year $4.2 billion dollar International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal.
But Moreno's scrapping of decades-old fuel subsidies this week incensed many Ecuadoreans and brought violent protests in a nation with a history of political volatility.
(Production: Alberto Fajardo) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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