The Battle for Isiboro Park was an indigenous and environmentalist effort to stop the construction of a massive highway through a national park in 2011 in Bolivia.
Background
The Bolivian government planned to build a 177 kilometre segment of a larger 300 kilometre highway linking Brazil to ports in Chile and Peru. Bolivian capitalists and politicians (and some trade unions) supported the project. It was heavily criticised by indigenous and environmental groups.[1]
Events
The protests began with a 500km march from the town of Trinidad to La Paz. In mid-September, the Bolivian government sent some 1500 riot police north of the town of Yucumo, with the stated purpose of “preventing clashes with communities along the road.” The police barricaded the marchers and impeded their progress for a number of days. On the 24th of September, the protesters broke through the barricade. Protestors were brandishing bows and arrows and wounded one officer and at one point the protestors seized Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca, though he was released without harm.
On the 25th of September, riot police violently cracked down on the protest, firing tear gas into the crowd and beating protesters with batons. On Monday September 26, the Bolivian government insisted that no protestors had been killed, though the protesters claimed that three adults and one child had died in the police attack.[1]
Results
After the massacre, the project was quickly called off.[1]