2020 Guatemalan protests
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(and other areas within the country)
- Demand veto of 2021 budget bill by President Alejandro Giammattei
- Call for resignation of legislators in Congress
| 2020 Guatemalan protests | |||
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| Part of COVID-19 pandemic in Guatemala, Hurricane Eta and Hurricane Iota | |||
| Date | 21 November 2020 | ||
| Location | Guatemala City (and other areas within the country) | ||
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On November 21, 2020, protests began in Guatemala City and several other parts of the country in response to the passing of a controversial budget bill by Congress in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of Hurricanes Eta and Iota. More than 7,000 protesters gathered in the capital city to demonstrate against the bill, which included cuts to education and health spending and increased funding for meals and expenses for lawmakers. During the protests in Guatemala City, social media reports showed a fire burning inside a window of the National Congress building.[1][2]
At the time of the protests, Guatemala was dealing with the effects of Hurricanes Eta and Iota, back-to-back storms that brought torrential rains to the country, and the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] The storms caused landslides that buried more than 100 Indigenous people and caused crop damage across the country.[3] During this time, Congress passed a budget bill that cut spending for COVID-19 patients and human rights agencies. The protesters claimed that this bill was passed while the country was distracted by national disasters.[1] The bill also increased the legislator's stipend for meals and expenses while cutting $25 million from the budget earmarked to fight malnutrition in the country.[3] The budget also cut spending for the judiciary.[4]
On November 20, 2020, Vice President Guillermo Castillo called for himself and President Alejandro Giammattei to resign. Castillo said he would not resign unless the president did so as well.[1][5]