On Tuesday, thousands converged from across Honduras on the country´s two main cities, Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. In Tegucigalpa, many walked for the best part of the day to reach the downtown area and to participate in demonstrations that included a visit from the First Lady Xiomara Castro de Zelaya and daughter of the ousted President Manuel Zelaya.

 

As the serpentine procession from the north arrived, which included union members, teachers, indigenous people, and campesinos, they were greeted by a delighted crowd who cheered from either side of the street as if they had just won a marathon. In many ways, this was the situation. Young and old all demanding the unconditional return of Zelaya had walked for up to six days to reach the capital city on foot. 

 

The massively attended events in both cities took place without serious incident, although military and police blocked demonstrators in the capital city from protesting in front of the presidential palace.

 

Most disturbingly, however, after the vast majority of marchers had dispersed incidents of vandalism and violence took place involving police and a small group of people who lagged behind the crowd. The windows of various fast food outlets considered representative of national and international interests financing the coup were broken. But police and military officers, who stood only a couple of blocks away from where the property damage was taking place, did not immediately respond. Shortly later, after police reportedly shot and wounded a young man, a bus and restaurant were set on fire providing the dominant images of the day´s events in the local media. 

 

Radio Globo reported that police used heavy tear gas on the people involved, as well as on demonstrators who were already gathered in a nearby university. The National Front Against the Coup appeared on television and attributed the events to a group of youth who attended the protests, but who are not a part of the Front. The de facto government of Roberto Micheletti further used the troubling events to justify reinstatement of a military curfew for the night.

 

It is unclear if the curfew will carry on through the week and the number of related detentions is still unconfirmed. But, there is considerable concern that these latter events portend a more repressive period to come for the popular movement unless greater international pressure helps to reinstate Zelaya immediately and return Honduras to constitutional normality.