Friday, August 11, 2006

Lima Mobs beseige German Consulate

The news announcing that Peru's 4-2 victory in soccer over Austria was ruled out by the International Football Federation in Berlin caused indignant crowds to assemble here as well as in Port Callao today to protest the decision.

As soon as the report was received, crowds running in the thousands congregated at the principal newspaper offices to await further information. The local Olympic Committee immediately took up the matter with the President of the Republic, Oscar Benavides, who instructed the committee to withdraw its delegation from the Olympic Games.

Then a shouting crowd started a march to the palace, the thousands in line clogging traffic and pausing en route to tear down the Olympic flag which was flying from the business house, the German manager of which is the Austrian consul here. The arrival of police prevented further damage.

Booing, whistling, yelling and shouting, the demonstrators reached the main square, the Plaza de Armas, where they were joined by others from the Newspaper offices. When they arrived in front of the palace, they urged the President to appear.

Accompanied by Ministers of State and military aides, President Benavides appeared and listened to the speeches. In reply, he said: "I have received cables from the Argentine, Chile, Uraguay and Mexico solidifying the Peruvian attitude against the crafty Berlin decision".

The President further recommended that the demonstrators bind themselves clamly not to imitate the unsportsmanlike Berlin decision. The President of the local games committee read the cables sent and received to the crowd, including cables from the Austrian consul and the local Nazi representative in which reconsideration of the International Federation's decision was asked.

Singing the National Anthem, the crowd continued its demonstration along the main street, where it gained further supporters. With the Chilean, Argentine, Uraguayan and Ecuadorian flags accompanying that of Peru, the crowd surged toward the Plaze San Martin, were it was addressed by various speakers.

Reforming its ranks the crowd later marched to the German consulate where is stoned windows in protest. Police arriving in trucks peacefully managed to get the crowd to disperse.

Stevedores did not work for two hours on the two vessels at Callao, the German Ammon and the Norwegian Remulus, as an act of protest, while various hundreds paraded in the streets there protesting and voicing their indignation. The Police meanwhile guarded the German Consulate.

The Afternoon papers bitterly attacked the federation's decision in the editorials. One said :"It lacks basis as a reason, the Austrians' only pretext was to eliminate the team which had a good chance to win and thereby see its national flag wave from the scene of operations."

The whole press praises the gesture of the Latin American delegations in meeting in Berlin to support the Peruvians. All is quiet here now.