The city is under siege from within and without
En las calles de La Paz, una exigencia política se transformó en destrucción cuando manifestantes que pedían la renuncia del presidente Rodrigo Paz convirtieron el centro de la capital boliviana en escenario de saqueos, incendios y enfrentamientos con la policía. Durante trece días, la ciudad ha permanecido aislada por bloqueos de carreteras, mientras el gobierno señala al expresidente Evo Morales como el artífice de una desestabilización calculada. Lo que se disputa en las calles no es solo el futuro de una presidencia de seis meses, sino la pregunta más antigua de la política: quién tiene el derecho de gobernar y a qué costo se ejerce ese derecho.
- La Plaza Murillo, corazón simbólico del poder boliviano, fue asediada con dinamita, piedras y fuego mientras manifestantes intentaban romper el cordón policial que protegía el palacio presidencial y el parlamento.
- El caos se extendió por toda la ciudad: el Tribunal Departamental de Justicia fue saqueado, estaciones del teleférico fueron destruidas, un policía fue golpeado brutalmente y vendedores ambulantes vieron sus medios de vida arrasados en minutos.
- La Paz lleva trece días cercada por bloqueos de carreteras organizados por federaciones campesinas y sindicatos, convirtiendo la capital en una isla política rodeada de presión creciente.
- El gobierno de Paz acusa a Morales de orquestar la violencia para recuperar el poder, pero la respuesta oficial sigue siendo la fuerza y el gas lacrimógeno, sin señales de negociación.
- Quince periodistas agredidos en menos de una semana revelan que la libertad de informar se ha convertido en otra víctima del conflicto, oscureciendo el registro de lo que realmente ocurre.
El lunes, lo que comenzó como una marcha política en La Paz terminó en vidrios rotos y humo. Seguidores de Evo Morales, sindicatos, campesinos indígenas y organizaciones sociales de El Alto confluyeron en la capital con una demanda unificada: la renuncia del presidente Rodrigo Paz. Al acercarse a Plaza Murillo, el corazón institucional del país, los manifestantes lanzaron piedras y detonaron cargas de dinamita contra los policías antidisturbios apostados para contenerlos. La policía respondió con gas lacrimógeno. Algunos protestantes arrancaron puertas de un edificio privado para usarlas como escudos; otros encendieron hogueras con papeles y madera para contrarrestar los efectos del gas.
La violencia no se quedó en un solo punto. El Tribunal Departamental de Justicia fue forzado e invadido: muebles destruidos, objetos robados, fachada apedreada. Las estaciones del teleférico que conectan La Paz con El Alto sufrieron ataques con particular saña; en una de ellas, en el centro histórico, manifestantes destrozaron ventanas y golpearon brutalmente a un policía que custodiaba el lugar. La empresa estatal Mi Teleférico suspendió el servicio en cuatro líneas. Un vehículo policial fue incendiado. Vendedores informales, cuyo sustento depende de cada día de trabajo, vieron sus puestos saqueados y arrasados.
Este estallido no surgió de la nada. Desde hace trece días, La Paz permanece aislada del resto del país por bloqueos organizados por la federación campesina Tupac Katari y la Central Obrera. Disrupciones similares se registran en Oruro, Cochabamba y Chuquisaca. El gobierno de Paz, a apenas seis meses de iniciado su mandato, señala directamente a Morales como el estratega detrás del caos, acusándolo de buscar desestabilizar la administración para allanar su propio regreso al poder.
Mientras tanto, quienes intentan documentar los hechos también pagan un precio: entre el 12 y el 18 de mayo, la Defensoría del Pueblo registró quince agresiones contra periodistas y cuatro ataques a equipos de prensa. Bolivia enfrenta una crisis que se profundiza día a día, donde las demandas políticas no encuentran respuesta en la negociación, sino en el fuego y la fuerza.
Monday's protests in La Paz began as a political demand and ended in broken glass and fire. Supporters of former president Evo Morales, joined by labor unions, indigenous farmers, and social organizations from the neighboring city of El Alto, converged on the capital with a single message: President Rodrigo Paz must resign. What started as a march became something else entirely.
The demonstrators moved toward Plaza Murillo, the symbolic heart of Bolivian government where both the presidential palace and parliament sit. They threw stones, set off firecrackers, and detonated dynamite charges, trying to push through the riot police who had been positioned to hold the line. The police responded with tear gas. In the chaos, some protesters tore doors off a private building and used them as shields. Others gathered papers and wood from inside to build fires—a tactic to counter the effects of the gas being fired at them.
The violence spread across the city. At the Departmental Court of Justice, a group of people forced their way inside, destroying furniture and stealing items. Outside the same building, others hurled rocks at the entrances. Cable car stations that connect La Paz to El Alto took a beating, particularly one in the historic center where demonstrators smashed windows and brutally beat a police officer guarding the facility. The state-run cable car company, Mi Teleférico, had no choice but to suspend service on that line and three others.
A police vehicle parked near the headquarters of the Special Force to Fight Crime was set on fire. Street vendors reported that protesters looted and destroyed their small businesses—the kind of informal commerce that keeps families fed in a city where formal employment is scarce. The damage was not abstract; it was immediate and personal.
The protests did not emerge in isolation. For thirteen days, La Paz has been cut off from the rest of the country by road blockades organized by the Tupac Katari peasant federation, working alongside the Central Labor Union. These blockades have paralyzed the region while similar disruptions have appeared in Oruro, Cochabamba, and Chuquisaca. The city is under siege from within and without.
The government of Rodrigo Paz, now six months into his presidency, has pointed directly at Morales as the architect of the unrest—a calculated attempt, officials say, to destabilize the administration and clear a path for the former leader's return to power. Whether that accusation holds weight or not, the consequences are visible on the streets.
Perhaps most troubling is what happened to those trying to document the events. Between May 12 and 18, the Ombudsman's Office recorded fifteen assaults against journalists and four attacks on news crews covering the conflict. The right to witness and report has itself become a casualty. As the standoff continues with no clear resolution in sight, Bolivia faces a deepening crisis where political demands are being answered not with negotiation but with fire and force.
Notable Quotes
The government of Rodrigo Paz has pointed directly at Morales as the architect of the unrest—a calculated attempt to destabilize the administration and clear a path for the former leader's return to power— Government of Bolivia
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did this particular Monday turn violent when the protests had been ongoing for weeks?
The arrival of Morales supporters seems to have been the catalyst. Until then, you had labor unions and farmers blocking roads. When his base showed up in the streets of La Paz itself, the energy changed. It became less about economic grievance and more about a direct challenge to Paz's legitimacy.
The government is blaming Morales for orchestrating this. Do you think that's credible?
It's hard to say from the ground. What's clear is that Morales has a massive following and the political incentive to destabilize Paz. But whether he personally ordered people to burn police cars and loot shops—that's a different question. The anger seems real enough on its own.
What struck you most about the reporting on this?
The attacks on journalists. Fifteen assaults in a week. That's not incidental—that's a sign that someone doesn't want this story told. When you're beating up reporters, you're trying to control the narrative.
And the cable car stations—why target those specifically?
They're infrastructure. They're symbols of the state. And practically, they connect La Paz to El Alto, where much of the protest movement is based. Shutting them down isolates the city further, amplifies the pressure.
What about the street vendors whose shops were looted?
That's the part that gets lost in the political framing. These are people with nothing to do with Paz or Morales. They're just trying to survive. Their livelihoods got destroyed in a fight that isn't theirs.