Left-wing and anti-imperialist organizations took to the streets of Lima this week to protest the visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Peru, denouncing Washington’s interference in the country and its effort to reinforce US political and military influence in Latin America.
The demonstrations coincided with Rubio’s arrival in Lima on September 9, following stops in Colombia and Ecuador.
The demonstrations coincided with Rubio’s arrival in Lima on September 9, following stops in Colombia and Ecuador.
Protesters marched through the Peruvian capital carrying banners and flags and chanting slogans such as “Yankees out of Peru!”, “Marco Rubio out of Peru!” and “No to the Shield of the Americas!” The mobilization also expressed solidarity with Palestine and other peoples facing imperialist aggression.
Rubio’s visit came as the government of President Keiko Fujimori moved to incorporate Peru into the US-led “Shield of the Americas”, a regional security initiative promoted by the Trump administration under the banner of combating organized crime and drug trafficking. Washington has also openly sought to counter China’s growing economic influence in Peru and across Latin America.
The Communist Party of Peru – Red Fatherland (Partido Comunista del Perú – Patria Roja) was among the forces mobilizing against Rubio’s presence. Ahead of the protest, the party called on workers, students, intellectuals and the broader population to reject the visit, denouncing Rubio as an architect of the US blockade against Cuba and as a supporter of Israel and of military aggression against Iran.
In a statement issued on September 9, Patria Roja also rejected Peru’s incorporation into the “Shield of the Americas,” arguing that the struggle against drug trafficking and organized crime must be based on sovereign cooperation between equal states rather than on a hemispheric security architecture designed according to Washington’s strategic interests. The party warned against turning Peru into an instrument of confrontation with China, Iran or other countries and called for an independent, sovereign and Latin American-oriented foreign policy, based on non-intervention and the right of peoples to self-determination.
The Peruvian Communist Party (Partido Comunista Peruano, PCP) likewise issued a firm condemnation of Rubio’s presence, describing the visit as an expression of the Trump administration’s “America First” policy, the revived Monroe Doctrine and neo-Monroeism. The PCP called on trade unions, popular, student, patriotic and democratic organizations to mobilize against the visit and against Peru’s participation in the US-sponsored “Shield of the Americas.”
The PCP warned that the agreement could further subordinate Peru to Washington’s confrontational policy while presenting imperialist military and strategic interests as measures for “security.” It called on Peruvians to defend the country’s “sovereignty and dignity” and reaffirmed its solidarity with the peoples of Cuba and Iran and with “all peoples attacked by imperialism.”
For the two Communist Parties, Rubio’s visit and Peru’s incorporation into the new US-led security mechanism are not isolated diplomatic developments, but part of a broader attempt by Washington to regain strategic ground in Latin America and subordinate the region to the interests of US imperialism. Their response has been clear: no to imperialist interference, no to military subordination, and yes to national sovereignty and international solidarity.
Rubio’s visit came as the government of President Keiko Fujimori moved to incorporate Peru into the US-led “Shield of the Americas”, a regional security initiative promoted by the Trump administration under the banner of combating organized crime and drug trafficking. Washington has also openly sought to counter China’s growing economic influence in Peru and across Latin America.
The Communist Party of Peru – Red Fatherland (Partido Comunista del Perú – Patria Roja) was among the forces mobilizing against Rubio’s presence. Ahead of the protest, the party called on workers, students, intellectuals and the broader population to reject the visit, denouncing Rubio as an architect of the US blockade against Cuba and as a supporter of Israel and of military aggression against Iran.
In a statement issued on September 9, Patria Roja also rejected Peru’s incorporation into the “Shield of the Americas,” arguing that the struggle against drug trafficking and organized crime must be based on sovereign cooperation between equal states rather than on a hemispheric security architecture designed according to Washington’s strategic interests. The party warned against turning Peru into an instrument of confrontation with China, Iran or other countries and called for an independent, sovereign and Latin American-oriented foreign policy, based on non-intervention and the right of peoples to self-determination.
The Peruvian Communist Party (Partido Comunista Peruano, PCP) likewise issued a firm condemnation of Rubio’s presence, describing the visit as an expression of the Trump administration’s “America First” policy, the revived Monroe Doctrine and neo-Monroeism. The PCP called on trade unions, popular, student, patriotic and democratic organizations to mobilize against the visit and against Peru’s participation in the US-sponsored “Shield of the Americas.”
The PCP warned that the agreement could further subordinate Peru to Washington’s confrontational policy while presenting imperialist military and strategic interests as measures for “security.” It called on Peruvians to defend the country’s “sovereignty and dignity” and reaffirmed its solidarity with the peoples of Cuba and Iran and with “all peoples attacked by imperialism.”
For the two Communist Parties, Rubio’s visit and Peru’s incorporation into the new US-led security mechanism are not isolated diplomatic developments, but part of a broader attempt by Washington to regain strategic ground in Latin America and subordinate the region to the interests of US imperialism. Their response has been clear: no to imperialist interference, no to military subordination, and yes to national sovereignty and international solidarity.