Citizens denounce an alleged case of xenophobia during a military operation against crime in Arequipa (Peru)where the Army entered a softball field where several Venezuelan adults and children were playing.
According to videos spread on social networks, The military troops stormed the field and, pointing their weapons, they forced all the athletes to lie on the ground, causing distress in said population.
The act was classified as xenophobic because, according to reports, all those present were Venezuelan citizens who were playing a match there.
In one of the videos, a woman is heard saying that her daughter, who was present, was “nervous” due to the armed presence of the uniformed officers.
Although the detainees appeared calm in their positions and obeying orders, The apparently racy soldiers shouted at those present.
Given this, a woman asks them to keep their sanity and not raise their voices: “But don’t shout because we’re not doing anything wrong, we’re playing.”pleads a female voice.
According to later accounts, the women were forced to stand to the side while the men, dressed in a sporty manner, were forced to remain seated.
During the tense moment, Some of those present claimed that they were not undocumented and that they were workers who were enjoying a sporting event without affecting anyone.: “We are not living for free here.”
The case is drawing the attention of human rights organizations considering it an act of xenophobia against the Venezuelan population, and due to the way in which the military broke into the game.
According to data from the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the diaspora of Venezuelans around the world is close to eight million people. In the case of Peru, there are about 1.5 million people, making it the second host country, after Colombia.
