Finally in Peru, a protest that Lima can't ignore

Y'see, what usually happens in Peru is that some protest starts in the provinces and everyone ignores it. So the protestors wait a while...then block a few roads...and then the government shoots them all and hides the bodies (according to those people tracking the case there are 61 people still missing from the Bagua massacre, by the way).

But today it was day one of a brand new protest and it's already captured the headlines of all Peruvian newspapers, TV and radio...because it's in Lima. Transport workers (buses, taxis etc) are striking to reject a new set of transport rules that are due to come into effect tomorrow, including all sorts of new fines for doing all sorts of naughty roadthings. The result is that 50% of Lima didn't get to work on time today and 46 protestors have been arrested (so far) by tear-gas shooting policia (nice video on that link).

If it were anywhere else in the country nobody would give a damn and you'd have to search hard for the merest hint of a story; in fact the strike is concentrated around the Lima/Callao conurbation and reports from other major cities (Chiclayo, Cusco, Arequipa, Trujillo etc etc) are that transport is either nearly normal or normal. But you'd never guess it from the front pages that are screaming about "Peru halted" and other types of Republic Of Lima balderdash.

Peru; a very silly country with a very silly capital city populated by very silly people.