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Guatemala’s Congress Set Aflame Amid Anti-Government Protests

The blaze lasted roughly ten minutes. Demonstrators say they are opposed to a new congressional budget as the country reels from multiple crises.

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Johan Ordonez/Getty

By Blake Montgomery

Protesters vandalized and briefly set fire to Guatemala’s congressional building Saturday amid anti-government demonstrations. The fire lasted roughly 10 minutes before emergency responders extinguished it, according to the BBC, and riot police dispersed hundreds of demonstrators. The damage has not yet been assessed, and no one was inside the building at the time. The rioters oppose a budget that was approved by the Guatemala City legislature Wednesday and demand that President Alejandro Giammattei resign. The country is reeling from the dual crises of Hurricanes Eta and Iota and the coronavirus pandemic.

Read it at BBC

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