LIMA: At least 19 people, including a police officer, were injured during protests against the government of Peruvian President Dina Boluarte and Congress over the weekend, authorities and human rights advocates said Sunday.

Hundreds of people marched toward the seats of government in downtown Lima under heavy police presence. Groups of young people threw stones, firebombs, and fireworks at law enforcement, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, AFP journalists observed.

The National Human Rights Coordinator, a human rights coalition, reported Sunday that 18 people were injured in the clashes, including a journalist.

“A police officer suffered first-degree burns from a Molotov cocktail during the march organized by various groups,” the National Police reported Saturday, posting images of the clashes on social media.

The coalition blamed the police for the violence.

“We call on the police to respect the right to protest. There was no justification for firing large amounts of tear gas, much less for attacking people,” Mar Perez, a lawyer for the group, told AFP.

A new march by hundreds of transport workers and the Generation Z youth collective against alleged corruption and extortion was dispersed by dozens of police officers with tear gas Sunday night.

“We are marching against corruption, for life and against the crime that is killing us every day,” said Adriana Flores, a 28-year-old engineer.

Social unrest has grown after the Boluarte government passed a law Sept. 5 requiring young people to contribute to private pension funds, despite job insecurity and an informal employment rate of more than 70 percent.

Boluarte’s approval ratings have plunged in the final stretch of her term, which will end July 28, 2026. Congress, which has a conservative majority, faces similar unpopularity over perceptions of corruption, according to several opinion polls.

Protests have also escalated in Peru over the past six months amid a wave of extortion and murders linked to organized crime groups.

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19 injured in Peru anti-government protests