Guatemala riots over budget, set fire to congress building over healthcare.

[crimson5pheonix]

Guatemalan President Reviewing Budget, Which Slashed Healthcare Spending, After Outraged Protesters Set Fire to Legislative Building

"We are outraged by poverty, injustice, the way they have stolen the public's money," a psychology professor who attended the protests told the press.

www.commondreams.org

Last week, while the country was dealing with two late-season hurricanes, their government passed their 2021 budget, which included large cuts to healthcare and other social services. So people took to the street largely doing peaceful protests, though some got to the congressional building and lit part of it on fire. Nobody was injured.

The government is now reviewing their budget and considering corrections.

 

[Shadyside]

Hell yeah. Democracy in action.

 

[Kwak]

Guatemalan President Reviewing Budget, Which Slashed Healthcare Spending, After Outraged Protesters Set Fire to Legislative Building

"We are outraged by poverty, injustice, the way they have stolen the public's money," a psychology professor who attended the protests told the press.

www.commondreams.org

Last week, while the country was dealing with two late-season hurricanes, their government passed their 2021 budget, which included large cuts to healthcare and other social services. So people took to the street largely doing peaceful protests, though some got to the congressional building and lit part of it on fire. Nobody was injured.

The government is now reviewing their budget and considering corrections.

Seems like an inefficient community-feedback system, but at least it works.

 

[crimson5pheonix]

Seems like an inefficient community-feedback system, but at least it works.

I can definitely think of greener solutions. Maybe the government can keep them in mind for later.

 

[Trunkage]

As far as I understand the situation, austerity has been a common theme for a few years
This has been brewing for a while

 

[Gergar12]

Granted I am not the biggest fan of hoarding money or even property. I am not lusted by the need for power. But if this were the case, I would just reduce my own salary, and possibly the salary of the government officials, and say we are all in this together, or beg to ask for aid from an International non-governmental organization.

 

[Seanchaidh]

Commendable effort by the population there, though perhaps also a long time coming (not that anyone from the United States has room to criticize for that.)

 

[TheMysteriousGX]

Direct action gets things done. That's why the powers that be demonize it so much

 

[Iron]

Guatemalan President Reviewing Budget, Which Slashed Healthcare Spending, After Outraged Protesters Set Fire to Legislative Building

"We are outraged by poverty, injustice, the way they have stolen the public's money," a psychology professor who attended the protests told the press.

www.commondreams.org

Last week, while the country was dealing with two late-season hurricanes, their government passed their 2021 budget, which included large cuts to healthcare and other social services. So people took to the street largely doing peaceful protests, though some got to the congressional building and lit part of it on fire. Nobody was injured.

The government is now reviewing their budget and considering corrections.

"peaceful protest...lit part of it on fire"
like clockwork

 

[Silvanus]

"peaceful protest...lit part of it on fire"
like clockwork

Setting the fire, while a shitty thing to do, didn't end up hurting anybody. The cuts to healthcare will unavoidably lead to greater suffering. I await your condemnation of the latter.

 

[Trunkage]

"peaceful protest...lit part of it on fire"
like clockwork
View attachment 1698

Burning something down to make sure people don't die. These protestors are the worst

 

[tstorm823]

Setting the fire, while a shitty thing to do, didn't end up hurting anybody. The cuts to healthcare will unavoidably lead to greater suffering. I await your condemnation of the latter.

OTOH, setting fire to a parliament building is how Hitler upgraded himself to dictator.

 

[Iron]

Setting the fire, while a shitty thing to do, didn't end up hurting anybody. The cuts to healthcare will unavoidably lead to greater suffering. I await your condemnation of the latter.

Go set fire to my house and make me.

Burning something down to make sure people don't die. These protestors are the worst

There's a meme here I'm too lazy to make, so I'll just plop the template here

 

[SupahEwok]

OTOH, setting fire to a parliament building is how Hitler upgraded himself to dictator.

Indeed, fascists set a fire as a false flag attack that they blamed communists for, and used them as a scapegoat to suspend civil liberties and institute a dictatorship. It's nice to see you acknowledge that.

 

[Silvanus]

OTOH, setting fire to a parliament building is how Hitler upgraded himself to dictator.

Of course, the Reichstag fire was quite likely set by a lone-actor itinerant communist, after which the far-right exploited the event to solidify a power grab.

Hey, maybe you're right, this is a useful analogy after all!

 

[Iron]

Indeed, fascists set a fire as a false flag attack that they blamed communists for, and used them as a scapegoat to suspend civil liberties and institute a dictatorship. It's nice to see you acknowledge that.

Of course, the Reichstag fire was quite likely set by a lone-actor itinerant communist, after which the far-right exploited the event to solidify a power grab.

Hey, maybe you're right, this is a useful analogy after all!

Who will pay for the repair of the public house they burned down?

 

[Silvanus]

Who will pay for the repair of the public house they burned down?

I imagine the upkeep of government buildings in Guatemala is the role of the Guatemalan government.

Thankfully, the protests have forced the government to re-review the spending cuts, so the expenditure won't come at the detriment of education or healthcare.

 

[Iron]

I imagine the upkeep of government buildings in Guatemala is the role of the Guatemalan government.

Thankfully, the protests have forced the government to re-review the spending cuts, so the expenditure won't come at the detriment of education or healthcare.

They didn't have enough money for their programs, so the protestors burnt part of the building down, because there is plenty of money to spare for this kind of repair and renovation. But they have insurance, right?!? Big brain move.

 

[Silvanus]

They didn't have enough money for their programs, so the protestors burnt part of the building down, because there is plenty of money to spare for this kind of repair and renovation. But they have insurance, right?!? Big brain move.

That's funny, they found the money in the budget to increase the stipend for lawmakers' meals by £50,000. Maybe the cuts weren't made out of absolute necessity after all?

 

[Iron]

That's funny, they found the money in the budget to increase the stipend for lawmakers' meals by £50,000. Maybe the cuts weren't made out of absolute necessity after all?

Maybe if they burned down all of the capital buildings they'd have had more money for socialized healthcare like in Germany