Peruvian President Alan Garcia denies slapping critic

[Judi Lynn]

14 October 2010 Last updated at 18:44 ET
Peruvian President Alan Garcia denies slapping critic

Peruvian President Alan Garcia has denied slapping a young man who insulted him when he visited a hospital last weekend.

The alleged victim says he was struck by the president and then beaten up by his bodyguards after he called Mr Garcia corrupt.

Mr Garcia initially denied the incident had taken place.

He then said he had responded indignantly when insulted, but had not hit the man.

More:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11547470

[rabs]

1. Garcia is lying

and his denial is not going to fly.

Saw this in the Lima media when it happened last Saturday. Garcia and his entourage were leaving a hospital where Garcia had gone to see someone in intensive care.

Richard Emilio Gálvez León, 27, a volunteer at the hospital, came up to him face-to-face and yelled "corrupto" to Garcia. Garcia slapped him, who took the blow and yelled "corrupto" to Garcia a second time. Garcia slapped him a second time.

Garcia's bodyguards then knocked the man down and beat and kicked him. He was about to be taken away but other people who were there prevented that.

According to Lima media, some people were able to take video with their cell phones.

In addition to kicking the young mental patient for getting in his way during a political rally in 2004, he also kicked in 2001 a female photo-journalist because her camera's flash pissed him off.

Just goes to show that Garcia has always been and still is a thug.

[Bacchus39]

3. he should have kneed him in the groin n/t

s

[Judi Lynn]

9. I hope Garcia won't opt to follow up on his assault on this young man of conscience with more

rough stuff meted out to let him know how powerful Garcia really is right now, as in death threats, acts of terrorism, etc. Garcia is no stranger to brutality.

Found a photo of moments after the assault which very clearly shows Garcia's real thug nature:

http://www.peru21.net.nyud.net:8090/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Richard-Emilio.jpg

You can be a very pushy person surrounded by your bodyguards, big guy.
http://www.peru21.net/2010/10/confirman-que-alan-garcia-golpeo-a-richard-emilio-galvez-leon/

This article indicates the young man hasn't appeared at his house since the incident.
http://www.terra.com.pe/noticias/noticias/act2550262/se-busca-richard-galvez-leon-joven-supuestamente-agredido-por-alan-garcia.html

Hope the protester is going to be O.K..

[bemildred]

2. Hmmm. Is he a witch? nt

[rabs]

4. Witch? Nah, that would demean all honorable witches

but he is a tad overweight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suaqsnHKTQs

[bemildred]

5. Hmm. "I am not obese!"

When does he have to face an election anyway, he's been sitting there a while doing nothing much, just getting in the way of change.

[rabs]

6. Garcia leaves office next year

He can't run again because of constitutional term limit. Elections set for April 2011.

Fyi Garcia has so corrupted Peru that another Fujimori might just win the presidency. It is Keiko Fujimori, who at this time hold a tiny lead in the polls. She is backed by Peruvians who are sick and tired of Garcia's APRA party corruption.


Keiko Fujimori

More here.

http://www.livinginperu.com/news-13069-politics-keiko-fujimori-leads-el-comercio-poll-2011-peru-election-20-pct

[Peace Patriot]

7. What's happened to leftist Ollanta Humala? He almost beat Garcia last time around.

I remember that election well, because the corpo-fascist media grossly misinterpreted the impact of Evo Morales and Hugo Chavez in their endorsements of Humala. Humala gained much of his 15 point additional votes (over his first round showing) from those endorsements. (30% in the 1st round, 45% in the 2nd round.) We can be damned sure he didn't draw votes from the far right (whose candidate he bumped out of the race). He likely drew them from the Indigenous, who don't care that much about colonial borders--they wouldn't likely be "insulted" by Evo Morales, the first Indigenous president of Bolivia, "interfering" in Peru, nor, I would think, by Chavez. I think they made a special effort to vote. (It's not always easy for the Indigenous.) That is the only difference I see between the 1st and 2nd rounds of voting. Humala's numbers were significantly boosted by those endorsements.

So, what's going down in Peru, that Humala--whom I would think would be the choice of the majority at this point--is not running? not coming forward? not doing well? dunno--and voters are going for the daughter of the former dictator?! Isn't Fujimori wanted for war crimes in Peru?

Is this just corpo-fascist media hype? False polls? CIA interference (to keep their only other "free trade for the rich" candle burning in South America)? I'm thinking false polls for sure--that is, pollsters who just don't go into barrios or out in the countryside to poor rural people. That's what's happening in Colombia, I think. People are afraid to express their true opinion and they are not pursued for their opinion. But also the U.S. has a BIG STAKE in this election. Interference is virtually a given--millions in USAID money to rightwing groups, for instance. Garcia has a 25% approval rating. They badly need a new "free trade for the rich" candidate. Keiko Fujimori's probably "our" candidate, and has probably gotten significant $$$, "training," and so forth from the U.S., as well as corpo-fascist media attention.

You say she has a "tiny" lead in the polls. In this a majority or just a lead in a field of multiple candidates? And do you know who the other candidates are? Is there a close runner up?

[rabs]

8. Poor Peru, it can't come up with a decent candidate

According to the poll in August (latest I can find.)

Keiko 20 percent
Castaneda (current mayor of Lima) 19 percent
Toledo (ex president) 14 percent
Humala 12 percent
Bayle (TV comic who called JuanMa Santos gay) 4 percent

--------------------------

To some Peruvian it sounds like a list of viruses. There is no one candidate that inspires confidence.

Keiko's albatross is that she is the daughter of Alberto F., who is languishing in prison and reportedly in bad health. Still, a lot of Peruvians yearn for the tough, law and order rule under her father.

Castaneda has been accused of corruption in the Lima municipal government. Appears to be the most rightwing of the motley bunch.

Toledo, an ex-president whose presidency was mired in scandal after scandal. At the end of his presidency in 2006 his popularity rating was 8 percent, a record low for any president in LatAm.

Humala had his day in the sun when he was in a run-off with Garcia in 2005. But he has slipped badly in recent years. Peruvians have said they are uncomfortable with the support he received from Hugo and to a lesser degree from Evo in the 2006 electin.

Bayle is a joke but being a TV personality, he will get a small percentage in the first round in April.

------------------------------

The election is still six months off so the polls mean little at this time. But this one has been consistent with others earlier this year. Keiko a few months ago had 22 percent, but Castaneda appeares to be creeping up on her.

[Judi Lynn]

10. Jaime Bayly is so creepy. Hard to believe he'd get ANY votes.

On edit:

I just read he's very popular with Venezuelan and Cuban "exile" populations in Miami for his extreme right-wing politics, and his constant attacks on Hugo Chavez and the Castros.

I also read he was sent to an English private school in Lima.

What a total jerk.

Peru has already seen its share of loathesome blogs for President. It's long overdue for them to get a decent president, the next election.

[rabs]

11. Video and latest on Bayly

Video of the aftermath of the incident is up. It does not show when Garcia slapped Galvez but people protecting him from being taken away by Garcia's bodyguards.

The spin now is that a janitor was the one who slapped Galvez, so he must have been paid to divert the blame from Garcia. It will not work, because there were too many witnesses.

Galvez today filed a lawsuit against Garcia, so we'll see how that goes.

Video

http://www.larepublica.pe/politica/15/10/2010/richard-galvez-denuncio-al-presidente-alan-garcia-ante-el-colegio-de-abogados-de

---------------------

Re Bayly, Garcia's government yesterday yanked his TV show off the air for being critical of a candidate who is running for mayor of Lima.

So two big outrages in Lima at this time against Two Breakfasts

:rofl:

[Judi Lynn]

12. I'm sure there will be wide-spread coverage and endless commentary

on Garcia's pulling the plug on Bayly's show for his criticism, just as we got buried in all the attention our corporate media paid over and over to Alan Garcia's taking down several tv stations and radio stations years ago, taking them all out, just as he did with the more recent example of removing the radio stations which dared to criticize his bloody assault on the helpless protesting Amazonian indigenous Peruvians.

Oh, wait. Our corporate media didn't mention ANY of it: had to learn about it from other sources! Oh, yeah.

I read yesterday that Bayly envisions himself as being similar to David Letterman. One should hope David Letterman has less lethal friends.

Found a video showing the end of the "situation" with this young protester, Richard Galvan:

http://www.generaccion.com/usuarios/36212/mate-pastor-video-luego-agresion-alan-garcia-richard-galvez

Other videos available at the link, including one with Richard Galvan speaking with a tv interviewer. Galzon's words spill out of him so quickly it's clear he's speaking the truth. Unfortunately, I couldn't follow it very well, but it's obvious he was very poorly treated, and he has PLENTY of spirit leftover! Looks as if Garcia has transformed a critic into a zealot. Hope he'll be safe.

Google translation of the text from this link for non-Spanish speakers:

Pastor Matt: Video after the aggression of Richard Alan García Gálvez
Read suggest you read and see this post by Juan Sheput.
Friday, October 15, 2010

Internet has been placed in a video filmed after the aggression of the young doctor Richard García Gálvez. In this video you can see the obvious abuse this young man, limping, and the affirmation of a woman saying that the same Alan Garcia has attacked the city.

It is true that it is wrong to insult the president. But it is much worse than attacking the answer is insulting. And even worse is that they lie. A president can not and should lie.

Nor is it correct that Dr. García threats to the press release, specifically to Juan Carlos Tafur of Diario 16, and Rosa Maria Palacios de Prensa Libre. The media should report, and two journalists are doing their duty, which in a majority context of fear, cowardice and submission is really remarkable and dignified journalism. Alan García threats to the press, in that sense, they are unacceptable in a democratic regime.

It is clear that there has been an abuse of authority. It has beaten the citizen Gálvez in an illegal manner and cowardly, which is shown in the video clearly.
How is this video destroys the gross and disgusting government version presented yesterday to a government provider, a man named Oscar Rachumí, as he launched the slap and a punch Richard Galvez. People who were at the scene said no swearing, insults, defends the young Gálvez, calls for democracy and freedom of expression and Richard Galvez say the president has not touched. That lie in this way speaks volumes about the moral status of the government of Alan García.

http://www.generaccion.com/usuarios/36212/mate-pastor-video-luego-agresion-alan-garcia-richard-galvez