The far-right mayor of Lima, Peru, recently closed a local museum commemorating those who died in violent conflicts between the country’s government and a Maoist guerrilla group in the 1980s and 1990s. Protests at the museum have took place the next day.
Lugar de la Memoria, la Tolerancia y la Inclusión Social (The Place of Memory, Tolerance and Social Inclusion), or LUM, was closed on March 28 for allegedly breaking city safety rules.
But many saw the minor infraction as a slim excuse for the ultra-conservative mayor of Lima, Rafael López Aliaga, to shut down a cultural venue he has opposed for years. Critics fear the move is part of a larger political effort to whitewash the story.
According to Guardian, López Aliaga accused the museum of promoting a “false narrative” of the conflicts. He called the institution “an offense to the nation” which should be placed under the authority of the armed forces, saying it was time to “take control of the narrative”.
The founder of Peru’s National Renewal party, López Aliaga was elected mayor of Lima last October. He belongs to the conservative Catholic group Opus Dei and is known for his strong pro-life stance and his repeated attacks on gay and non-binary communities. The politician ran for president in 2021, finishing third.
Police guard municipal premises in the Miraflores neighborhood of Lima amid protests against the recent closure of the Place of Memory, Tolerance and Social Inclusion (LUM) on March 29, 2023. Photo: Carlos Garcia Granthon/Fotoholica Press/LightRocket via Getty Images.
Peru’s Culture Minister Leslie Urteaga said she was working with the Peruvian municipality of Miraflores, where LUM is located, to reopen the museum. She also noted that other institutions in the country are also breaking security rules, despite remaining open.
In a recent post on Twitter, Urteaga said LUM shares the ministry’s goal of “preserving our historical memory.” For this reason, we will work so that this space continues to provide services in favor of our citizens.
“Historical memory is a fundamental value of any democracy,” said the Peruvian branch of the European Union in a statement. The group called LUM “a space where the memory of the period of violence (1980-2000) is preserved”, saying that it “calls on citizens to inform themselves and reflect on what they suffered in Peru , so that it never happens again”.
LUM’s closure was announced the same day Amnesty International was preparing to release a report on the protests that have rocked Peru since December, when its liberal president, Pedro Castillo, was ousted after numerous allegations. of corruption.
At least 60 people have died in the protests, many at the hands of the armed forces, according to Amnesty International’s investigation.
“With a total of 48 people dead due to state repression, 11 dead due to roadblocks and one policeman killed, as well as hundreds injured in a tragic period of state violence, the Peruvian authorities have let the excessive and deadly use of force be the government’s only response for more than two months to the cries of thousands of communities who today demand dignity and a political system that guarantees their human rights,” said Erika Guevara -Rosas, Director for the Americas at Amnesty International.
Nearly 70,000 people died in conflicts between state forces and the Shining Path activist group between 1980 and 2000, according to Peru. truth and reconciliation commission.
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