(elpais.cr) - Surprised were some of the protesters who took part Saturday in a peaceful march in the vicinity of the Parque Metropolitano La Sabana, by the violent way in which the police repressed them for no apparent reason, as this medium could confirm.
For about two hours people moved from one side to another through the east side of La Sabana Metropolitan Park, which was guarded by about 100 policemen on horseback and on foot that prevented the entry of people to the vicinity of where the ceremony was performed which was inside the Park.
At about twelve noon, minutes after the act of transfer, when people were leaving, some came a few meters to the green of the park, to which the police called reinforcements and suddenly, without provocation or act any violence, the police began to attack the crowd.
The police began beating demonstrators, men and women, with their police sticks, kicks, and with closed fist, while the troopers with their horses ran over the people who were in the street and chased them with their beasts along Paseo Colon and the surrounding streets.
Several people were simultaneously arrested, some of them were severely beaten at the time of their arrest. A young man was hit by the police and was knocked unconscious in the middle of the street, another one was bleeding from his mouth upon being put inside a police vehicle.
The demonstrators did not resist at any time, however, before the police assault, they had to run to save their physical integrity.
At 1:00 pm Silvia Herrero, president of the Federation of Students of the University of Costa Rica said she did not know the exact number of detainees, but they were between seven and ten.
The authorities refused to report to which place they had taken the prisoners and under what charges. The Chief of Police, Raul Rivera, said through a local radio station that the police action had taken place because the protesters threw stones. However, this medium confirmed in the place that the protesters did no such thing.
Earlier at about 11:30 am some union representatives reported that the vehicle belonging to one of the unions was kicked by unknown assailants in civilian clothes who were not part of the demonstrators.
Throughout the protest the police took photographs and videos of people demonstrating.
As indicated by the student leader Claribeth Sanchez 'what we were doing was walking from side to side of the street protesting and demonstrating what we are against, and suddenly police on horses began to try to disperse us sending the horses to the center of the demonstration, and a fellow was hit by a horse and afterwards several policemen came on top of him "
Sanchez, a student at the University of Costa Rica, added: "The march was peaceful at all times, we were not wanting to enter or block, it was only a demonstration, the surprising thing was to throw the police who were beating on the backs of horses and our colleagues "
"I think this is no coincidence, I think the government of Laura Chinchilla will be more repressive, there are even police officers who look like " Robocop " with exaggerated uniforms for a supposedly peaceful country," concluded Claribeth Sanchez.
IMAGES OF POLICE AGGRESSION
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