It is still more than three months until we are scheduled to be in Ecuador, but it is a little disquieting to hear today about the troubles in Ecuador. Depending on who you listen to it is either a violent labour dispute or an attempted coup. What is known is that police have rioted over the government's attempt to reduce the benefits they receive. The army is behind the president, who seems very popular and has a great deal of support from other Latin American countries. I suspect this will die down fairly quickly but you never know.
The picture is interesting since we are used to seeing police on one side of the line and rioters on the other (for example at G20 and WTO meetings). Here it is the police who are the rioters and ordinary citizens who are supporting the government and the president on the other.
