It was not forceful. The mobilization against President José Jerí, promoted by the Generation Z groups, led by Orlando ‘Lando’ Carrasco and Yakov Solano, did not gain acceptance among the population.
Less than a thousand people participated in the mobilization. A small group of them was made up of relatives of those who died in the protests in Puno after Pedro Castillo’s coup.
Still, protesters marched through the streets of downtown Lima. However, they did not manage to reach Congress, which was the objective of the protest.
As for the agenda, this consisted of demanding the censure or vacancy of the interim president José Jerí.
This, as a result of the alleged corruption scandal called ‘Chifagate’, in which he secretly met in a San Borja chifa with the Chinese businessman Zhihua Yang.
In addition, they demanded justice for those responsible for the deaths of the protests in Puno on January 9 and 10, 2023.
Who moved the protest?
Peru21 reported, hours before the march, that two well-known Generation Z activists, Yakov and ‘Lando’, who had announced their participation in the protest, at least did not appear in the live broadcasts on social networks that were followed by this medium.
They also did not broadcast their attendance on their social media accounts.
An X account called Generation Z Peru, which supports the candidacy of Alfonso López Chau, also did not promote the mobilization.
Yakov and ‘Lando’ were estranged for more than three months, due to trivial disputes, but today they meet again in the streets of the Center from Lima.
In the last mobilization on October 15, which sought the departure of José Jerí, they were observed separated; However, since a week ago Orlando Carrasco ‘Lando’ and Yakov Solano They reappeared separately on their social networks, but with the same agenda: the resignation of José Jerí.
The spokesmen of the self-proclaimed groups Generation Z announced the call for the protest this Wednesday, which proposed the departure of José Jerí after the scandal of the “Chifagate” case, and for his meetings with the questioned Chinese businessman Zhihuan Yang.
The concentration point of the protest was again Plaza San Martín.
They proposed Susel Paredes, Flor Pablo and Ruth Luque in the past
Days before the last protest in October, the collective group Generation Zheaded by Lando, released a statement on its social networks in which it proposed as replacements for José Jerí the congresswomen Susel Paredes and Ruth Luque, from the Popular Democratic Bloc bench, as well as the non-grouped legislator Flor Pablo.
However, only the Yakov Solano sector participated in the march on October 15, along with other groups of young people.
In that mobilizationthis medium confirmed that it was led by the General Central of Workers of Peru (CGTP) and that, along with its leaders, well-known leftist parties marched. Likewise, flags were observed demanding the freedom of the coup leader Pedro Castillo.
During the day, party emblems were also flown. of Nuevo Perú —a group that competes in these elections within the Venceremos alliance— and the Movement for the Unity of the People (MUP), part of the agreement with Together for Peru.
The CUNAR ronderos, support groups that demand the freedom of the Chotano professor, as well as militants from the former Peruvian Communist Party (PCP) also participated in the mobilization.
Likewise, banners of SUTEP, SUTE and other organizations linked to the left were distinguished. In the middle of that scenario, a flag of the centrist party Progresemos even appeared.
Among the group of protest squires, wooden planks used as protectors were seen, some with inscriptions from universities such as San Marcos and the PUCP.
However, Yakov Solano’s group was far behind.
Contingent from Puno, Arequipa and Ica arrives in Lima
After that protest, Solano moved to Puno to articulate with left-wing groups and with relatives of those who died during the protests in favor of Pedro Castillo, after his dismissal on December 7, 2022, after the coup d’état that he carried out that day.
As a result of this articulation, marchers have arrived in the capital to participate in this first day of protest today.
In addition, it is known that reinforcements are arriving from Arequipa and Cusco to join the mobilization.
Who is “Lando” Carrasco?
Orlando Carrasco, 34 years old, does not belong to the generation he claims to represent, but today he is once again pulling the strings from within.
That is, it does not fit into the age range of Generation Z, a group made up of people between 18 and 29 years old who have taken to the streets of Lima for more than a month.
“Lando” not only promotes the protest, but also disseminates account numbers to receive financial contributions destined for the southern contingents.
Even so, he is one of the coordinators of the organizations that bring them together and organize the marches.
When the mobilizations began in September of last year, young people came out with the One Piece pirate flag in their hands—as happened in Nepal—to demand that contributions to the AFP for those over 18 and independent workers be not mandatory, in addition to demanding the release of their funds.
Subsequently, the protests were directed against the Government and Congress. With this, the agenda was modified: they began to demand the censure of the Board of Directors and the election of a new one.
That put the removal of José Jerí from the Presidency of the Republic on the table.
However, they did not succeed. Because? Because their sector fragmented after the departure of Yakov Solanodue to internal disputes over representativeness.
Benjamín Orlando Carrasco, better known as “Landau”was initially the national coordinator of the Generation Z organization.
According to a file in the JNE Registry of Political Organizations, on July 7, 2024, he joined the Modern Peru party, founded by Wilson Aragón, owner of the well-known Tigre blanket factory.
In the beginning, the Generation Z organization brought together 150 groups. It emerged in mid-September of last year and began to consolidate after the third mobilization, when different youth groups began to organize under the same name and discourse.
Carrasco has a history on the streets. He was part of the 14N Bicentennial Generation collective, the same group of young people that on November 15, 2020 took part in the demonstrations that led to the resignation of then-president Manuel Merino and left the death of Inti Sotelo and Bryan Pintado.
He also gained experience in the protests of the so-called Taking of Lima, after Pedro Castillo’s attempted coup.
Five years later, for the second time, he is once again the protagonist, this time in the mobilizations of Generation Z.
Carrasco studied business engineering at the César Vallejo University (UCV) and indicates in his LinkedIn profile that he works at the company Orcas Inversiones SAC.
However, according to the database of the National Superintendency of University Higher Education (Sunedu), Carrasco has not registered any academic degree so far.
‘Lando’ was invited by the owner of Perú Moderno
Regarding his registration in Modern Peru, Carrasco explained to Peru21 that it was Wilson Aragón, owner of the Tigre blanket factory, who invited him to join the group. However, after Aragón’s death, he claimed to have lost contact with the party.
Asked about a possible candidacy for the Chamber of Deputies, he responded “no”, at least for now, and specified that he does not maintain an active link with that political organization.
Currently, Modern Peru is running for president with Carlos Jaico as a candidate.
Who is Yakov Solano?
Last October, Peru21 was able to confirm the internal fracture within the Generation Z organization.
On the 25th of that month, ten days after the protests, Yakov confirmed his distancing of that front called Generation Z, by declaring to alternative media that Lando was not their spokesperson.
One of the young people who accompanied Yakov in another protest also supported that version.
Yakov promoted this Wednesday’s protest on networks.
Later, the same companion showed a cell phone with Lando’s image and stated that he was a member of the Peru Moderno party, a fact that this newspaper had already corroborated.
Since then, Jacob He traveled to Puno to gain experience and expand ties with organizations in the south, mainly with groups of relatives of those who died during the protests after the dismissal of Pedro Castillo.
Today, these groups are in the capital to participate in the day of protest scheduled for today, which is expected to be peaceful.
This is because, as we remember, rap singer Eduardo Ruiz died during the protest on October 15, after being shot by a plainclothes police officer in a confusing incident.
‘Generation Z Peru’ troll account
In this context, an account has also emerged on
From that same account, the invitation to join the mobilization this Wednesday was also spread.
However, the event did not have the call they expected nor did they come close to Congress, as in the mobilization of October 15.
After this failure, will Generation Z take to the streets again?
I KNEW THAT
-Censorship. In the first week of March the votes of censure and vacancy of José Jerí for ‘Chifagate’ would be seen in the Plenary.
-Distanced. Since last October 15, the date of the protest in which rapper Eduardo Ruiz, ‘Lando’ and Yakov were shot by a police officer, died.
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