Police fired tear gas and rubber pellets on Tuesday to disperse about 500 protesters demanding an election recount in Guyana, a day after the home of a ruling party politician was reportedly firebombed. Leaders of the opposition Partnership For National Unity said eight people were slightly injured in Tuesday’s clash, including a 79-year-old woman, a retired army chief and the head of the party’s youth movement.
David Granger, a retired army officer who won a seat in Parliament, said the protest was peaceful and said police overreacted. “There’s no reason to use this level of force.”
Police said eight schoolchildren also have been taken to the hospital after tear gas wafted into a nearby school that has since closed for the day.
The tightly contested Nov. 28 general elections have led to sporadic violence in the nation of 780,000 people on the northern shoulder of South America.
Full Article: Political Protesters in Guyana Clash With Police – ABC News.