 Hello and welcome to Around the World in 8 Minutes, a show by People's Dispatch. In this special episode, we take a look at the inspiring people's resistance to the regime of Lenin Moreno, which has introduced anti-people neoliberal reforms. As thousands across the country have taken to the streets, the government of President Lenin Moreno has unleashed an unprecedented level of repression. People's movements and organizations say that the police and military have been using tear gas, unconventional weapons, firearms and batons to attack protesters on the street. Eight protesters have been killed so far and hundreds have been gravely injured. According to official figures, over 766 people have been arrested and 128 have gone through legal proceedings. There have also been many instances of repression of humanitarian refugee zones and declared safe zones where senior citizens, children and women are being housed. Many of these centers were indiscriminately attacked with tear gas canisters by the National Police. Several alternative media projects that have been closely following the protests have also been subjected to raids and censorship. The radio station Pichincha Universal condemned the raid carried out by the National Police and the Attorney General's office on its headquarters. Through its Twitter account, the media outlets said that the measure was executed for the alleged crime of inciting discord among citizens. Pichincha Universal has been extensively reporting on incidents of police repression across the country. So why have Ecuadorians been on the street for the past week? On October 1st, Moreno announced a set of neoliberal economic measures which are popularly referred to as the Pakatazo or the package. These measures include the elimination of four decades old subsidies on petroleum and diesel, the restriction of the advance payment of income tax and a number of labor reforms. These measures are based on agreements made with the International Monetary Fund in exchange for 4.2 million US dollars in aid. The withdrawal of the fueled subsidies saw an immediate 123% increase in the price of fuel. The anger and indignation with the Moreno government has long been rising and for many, the Pakatazo was a tipping point. In July, one second in deference to IMF dictates. Moreno announced measures such as the privatization of public companies, mass dismissal of public sector employees and an increase in the price of public services. He also called for a discontinuation of thousands of healthcare and educational services. In addition to the anti-people austerity measures, the protesters also condemned the Moreno governments aiding the extractive sector, specifically the mining and the oil extraction industries. They also condemned the potential handing over of the Galapagos Islands for the military interests of the United States. The Moreno government has been characterized by a close relationship with the United States and the sacrifice of the interests of the Ecuadorian people and values to please imperialist interests. The withdrawal from Latin American integration projects support the U.S.-led coup in Venezuela and the handing over of whistleblower Julian Assange to the UK to facilitate his extradition to the U.S. is evidence of this. The integration of the people is evident and despite the plurality of voices, organizations and movements that have been on the streets, the government and its regional allies refuse to address this. Their response instead has been to claim that a protest had been instigated by former President Rafael Correa and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. In fact, Moreno has reiterated several times that he will not change his position on the economic measures. Moreno also assumed additional powers through the declaration of the state of emergency on October 3rd. This enabled him to move the seat of the government to Guayaquil from Cuito on Monday, deploy police and military across the country and decree a curfew. The people of Ecuador have rejected these measures and attempted intimidation. The mobilization continues and the people have taken over the streets. The Confederation of Indigenous Nationals of Ecuador, one of the largest social organizations in the country, condemned the curfew and called on people to continue mobilizing. The Confederation was one of the organizations which called for the national strike on October 9th. The strike saw tens of thousands of workers, students, indigenous people, peasants, Afro-descendant people, women and citizens on the streets. It was directed towards a historic center in Cuito where the Candole Palace is located. Even as the area continues to be heavily militarized and barricaded. In the midst of the strike, President Lenin Moreno returned to the capital from Guayaquil where he had temporarily shifted the seat of government. He claimed that the primary focus of his return was to engage in dialogue with the mobilized organizations. However, he has yet to meet their conditions which include the repeal of the economic measures and the resignation of Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo and Minister of Defense Osvaldo Harín. These ministers have been identified by the movements as directly responsible for the brutal repression of protesters. Across the continent, movements have expressed solidarity with the fighting people of Ecuador. Hailing their struggle against the lacking and subordinate government, the social movements of Alba denounced the deaths caused by police repression and held Moreno directly responsible for them. They pointed out that in less than three years, his administration has caused a debt of $20 billion, even as it affected nearly $4.3 billion of tax cuts. Pointing out that amid all this, the bankers had reported earnings of more than $500 billion. The social movements of Alba called the administration's policies a massive theft endorsed by mass media and international institutions. Like their compatriots in Argentina, the people of Ecuador are determined to struggle relentlessly to ensure that the policies and the IMF agenda for the country are withdrawn. The protests in Ecuador mark another moment in the Latin American outburst against the far right whose policies have wreaked great havoc on the lives and livelihoods of all sections of the people. That's all we have in this episode of Around the World in 8 Minutes. To read more about these protests, visit our website peoplesdispatch.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Thanks for watching.