Demonstrators tear-gassed in clashes with police

Demonstrations on Via Espana on Wednesday, October 31 in rejection of the mining contract ended with clashes between the young people who participated in the demonstrations and crowd control agents of the National Police.

Hundreds of young people had taken over the four lanes, near the Iglesia del Carmen, around 8:00 p.m. on the tenth day of protests,  when the agents arrived firing tear gas.

People started running. Some responded with stones but the amount of gases released forced the crowd to move towards Calle  50, along the street of the El Executivo hotel.  Others, stayed near the area to respond to the police.

Earlier, hundreds of people marched towards the National Assembly to express their rejection of the contract. There was also a brief confrontation there, after a group of protesters tried, once again, to tear down the metal fences guarding the Assembly.