Destructive Protests Continue

Thousands of protesters calling for the return of deposed President Manuel Zelaya clashed with police Wednesday for the second day in a row, but Honduras’ de facto government showed no willingness to allow Zelaya to return.

Youths with bandannas covering their faces threw rocks at police outside Honduras’ congressional building. The police, protecting themselves with riot shields, periodically launched tear gas to disperse them.

It was unclear how many protesters took part in the demonstration. Police placed the number at 3,000; pro-Zelaya supporters said 10,000. There were no reports of deaths or injuries, but police said they’d arrested at least 43 people.

On Tuesday, Honduran authorities declared a curfew in the capital after the protesters, many of whom arrived by foot from outside Tegucigalpa in their largest organizing effort yet, broke windows, looted a Dunkin’ Donuts franchise and set fire to a municipal bus.

Most commerce seemed to carry on as usual Wednesday, though teachers and medical professionals who were striking in solidarity with Zelaya shut down public schools and hospitals.

Government officials said Wednesday that they would impose a nighttime curfew for the second night in a row if the marchers turned violent again.

“They have a right to protest, but they cannot destroy private property,” said Marcia Villeda, a vice president of Congress. “We’ll just keep doing what we have to do. This government is just trying to hold on and resist until we have new elections.”

The violence came as Honduras’ de facto government seemed increasingly unlikely to accept any resolution to the crisis that returns Zelaya to office.

The military rousted Zelaya from bed June 28 and bundled him aboard a military plane that took him to Costa Rica after the country’s Supreme Court called for his arrest, saying he’d violated the country’s constitution by scheduling a referendum on whether Honduras should hold an assembly to rewrite the constitution.

Honduras’ transition president, Roberto Micheletti, whom Congress named to replace Zelaya, has said repeatedly that the country will hold presidential elections Nov. 29 as previously scheduled under Zelaya.

The ousted president visited Brasilia, Brazil, on Wednesday in his latest stop to rally foreign leaders to push for his return.

On Tuesday, the protesters burned a Popeyes chicken franchise and torched a public bus on Central America Avenue, near their main base, the teachers’ university.

They also ransacked a Dunkin’ Donuts next to Popeyes and broke windows at the nearby Banco Occidental.

One of the youths who entered the Dunkin’ Donuts had a rock in one hand and grabbed a doughnut with the other, said the outlet manager, Javier Rodriguez.

The youths stole a computer, cash from the register and cash from a jar for a children’s foundation, Rodriguez said.

“I don’t understand what they’re doing,” he said Wednesday as co-workers continued to clean up broken glass from the day before. “What they’re doing only affects people like me who work here.”

At Diunsa, a department store next door, workers had yet to replace a glass door that was broken the day before.

“I feel like it’s a campaign to destabilize the country,” store manager Pedro Cubas said. “They think the private sector was behind the coup.”

On Tuesday, the marchers heard exhortations to continue their fight from Zelaya’s wife, Xiomara Castro, and other protest leaders.

Shortly afterward, a dozen demonstrators crossed the street and stormed into a Burger King full of people eating lunch.

“Get out! Get out, comrades!” the protesters shouted, and the place cleared out within minutes.

“You had better not film this,” one of the protesters told a camera operator, who quickly took heed.

The ringleader appeared to be a young man who was wearing a Nike baseball cap and had covered his face with a red bandanna.

As he left, a woman who was trying to enter upbraided him.

“I come here every day for lunch,” she shouted. “You guys are the ones destroying public order.”

By TYLER BRIDGES


4 Responses to "Destructive Protests Continue"

  1. Pedro  August 14, 2009 at 8:00 pm

    What’s Meg going to do when Mel stops paying her L1000 a day?

  2. Meg  August 14, 2009 at 11:24 am

    To all of you who are against the people of Honduras:
    In respond to your accusations against me, I want to make clear my position and I expect for you to respect my opinion, because is as important as yours. I do not have any thing against the rich and the prosperity of my country, I applaud those who invest in our country and try to make things better for my people. I am against people who came to my country, to take our resources, to slave our people for a ridiculous minimum wage, don’t pay taxes and violate the rule and regulations of my country by paying few lempiras to people who sell their country to any body that comes from other country. Your argument is out of touch, the majority of the people who had come to live in Honduras for many years have not done anything for the poor people of my country. History has shows us that the Oligarchy are the one in control of the country and the poor are always forgotten. Please, do not judge my people whose trying to have a better system of life. No body is talking about communism we are talking about rights and equality for all.
    This entry is dedicated to all those people who think that the coupistas are the answer to Honduras problems and think that Zelaya is the criminal. If any of you read Spanish read “El Libertador”, it is on line, it will open your eyes. I read the News paper ” El Libertador” yesterday and you can see how corructed the people who forced Zelaya out are. It was a conspiracy by the elit rich bussines people of Honduras. The plan was headed by Aline Flores, whos father has running with the law and it was excuted by General Romeo Vasquez, Velasquez, who is also a criminal. And get this, General Romeo Vasquez, Velasquez, was convicted for been the head of a mophia Called : Banda de los trece”, Gang of the thirteen , they stoled more than 2000 cars internationally to sell them in different countries. He went to jail in 1993. The story is in the first page of the Heraldo, another news paper that support him and the coup now. You will see in “El Libertador ” all the faces of the mop that remove Zelaya from power,the most powerful one’s are the Arabs who have live in Honduras for many years. If you read Spanish you can get jucie information from “El Libertador”.
    Do not judge the real people of Honduras who have been slaving to serve the foreiners for less than a minimun wage. They are fighting for what they think is right. Beside, if you do not live in honduras you can not give oppinions of what you do not know.All the bussiness men who outage Zelaya are part of a bunch of criminals that have exploit our people for years. You do not know Zelaya, he has been the only president who has protect and serve the people of Honduras. I am adding an entry in Spanish that is about the fact that with the new fake government the democracy of Honduras has disapear. The judge who betraid Zelaya is triying to closed down “El Libertador” , because is the only news paper that has the guts to descover all the dert in what they are. And you call that a democratic government! You guys should go to honduras and see for yourselves so you can open your eyes. If you do not read Spanish, ask somenoe to tranlated for you.
    ____________________________________________________________________
    Letter to the judge who order the coup of President Zelaya.
    Senor Juez de la la corte suprema de Honduras, Jorge Alberto Zelaya Zaldana. Es una verguenza que personas como usted ocupen cargos tan importates como ejecutar las leyes en el system judicial de Honduras. Usted sabe mejor que nadie, lo que el articulo 323 del codico penal dice concerniente a la accion que usted, junto con la mafia de los rico empresarios de negocios alias delincuentes hicieron. Ahora usted quiere cayar al unico periodico que le informa al pueblo de la verdad de sus fechoria. A que clase de democracia usted sirve, senor Juez Jorge Alberto Zelaya Zaldana? Usted le vendio el alma al diablo cuando decidio, violar la constitucion de Hoduras, al tomar la accion de darle golpe de estado al Presidente Manuel Zelaya. Jueces como usted, son una verguenza para el pais. Si usted le pone una multa al director del Periodico “El Libertador” de $5,000., o le trata de cerrar el periodico, yo misma voy a reclutar gente para formar una guerra civil y sacar todas las manzanas podridas que componen el govierno de Micheletti; incluyendo todo los empresarion que tomaron parte en el golpe de estado.
    Le doy mi permiso al Periodico “El Libertador” de publicar esta carta y mandarcela a usted. Que Dios tenga piedad de su alma.

  3. Axel Reyes  August 13, 2009 at 6:55 am

    This is the time for Honduras to be strong, the suporters of Zelaya are being organised and guided by professional instigators; Mostly those people have no feelings identifying them as Chavistas or Zelayistas, they are on salary and have a job to do.
    Unfortunally for our beautiful country, there is almost no defense for this kind of situation but one, stay united, keep on making marches and protests against Zelaya coming back to power, the numbers will show our strenght, just look at them, they have to scoure the country and get people from all points of the compass to gather a few thousand, but if you noticed how many thousands took to the streets in all mayor cities of Honduras to protest the possible return of Zelaya, you can see that the people in agreement whith his ousting are many more than the few ones protesting it.
    People of Honduras, be courageous and dont allow for this cowards to take our country by means of terror, just imagine what living under those conditions would be.
    Please, show your support for the legal actions that the Courts and Congress took when they ousted Mel, twice a traitor, to the Nation and to his Party, go back out to the streets, show your strenght in numbers, the police and the army will protect you, and they need your help, the mobs paid by Chavez are trying to create martirs provoking the armed forces to kill some of them, but the armed forces have done commndable work and shown great restraint, help them help to you.

  4. Hilda  August 12, 2009 at 9:57 pm

    To all the protesters, you are the ones who want to destroy the country, it is incredible all the damage you all are doing to our people, working people like everybody else. Do you all believe that acting this way you’ll get your way I don’t know what kind of democracy are you lookin for. I think you and your leader zelaya are nothing but loosers.

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