Ecuadorian police repressed protest against Noboa policies

Published at: 14/03/2026 03:22 PM

The National Police of Ecuador suppressed with boom bombs and tear gas a mobilization of social organizations, unions and collectives that were protesting in Quito against the policies of the Government of Daniel Noboa.

According to information from Venezolana de Televisión, the mobilizations took place simultaneously in at least nineteen cities in the country, including Guayaquil, Esmeraldas, Riobamba, Cuenca, Machala, Loja and Lago Agrio.

The repressive acts occurred in the Plaza de Santo Domingo, in the Historic Center, and led to the eviction of hundreds of people. Previously, demonstrators reported the presence of tanks and military vehicles.

The police operation, which included motorized agents, dispersed the demonstrators to different sectors of the city center, until uniformed personnel took full control of the square. The repression was carried out in the midst of a strong police and military contingent that accompanied the march from the beginning outside the Social Security Fund, in El Ejido Park.

The protest, organized by the Popular Front together with related organizations such as the United Workers Front (FUT) and the National Union of Educators (UNE), sought to reject several government policies. Among them, the recent Ministerial Agreement MDT-2026-059 of the Ministry of Labor, which allows the reorganization of the working day of 40 hours a week in shifts of up to 10 hours a day, was a key point of discontent.

The demonstrators also expressed their opposition to the Mining and Energy Act, which opens up the extraction of stone material in Galapagos, and to the reforms to the Organic Code of Territorial Organization, Autonomy and Decentralization (COOTAD).

These modifications, known as the GAD Act, could affect social programs promoted by municipalities and prefectures. The march also included slogans about insecurity in the country and criticism of ruling assembly members for the approval of these reforms.

VTV