Four protesters were arrested and seven police were injured by bee stings in a protest by beekeepers on Monday, in front of the Chilean presidential palace, demanding government measures to address the persistent drought that has hit the country.
On the central avenue where the La Moneda palace is located, beekeepers installed around 60 hives with around 10,000 bees, temporarily blocking traffic and confronting the police who were trying to remove them from the area.
One of the beekeepers, José Iturra, told local media that drought in Colina, north of Santiago, is wiping out the local bee population.
“The bees are dying from the drought,” said Iturra. “They are of global importance. If they die, there will be no life here,” added the protester.
The head of the Ministry of Agriculture for the metropolitan region of Santiago, Omar Guzmán, told the press that the government shares the concern of beekeepers, and that there are work tables installed with the beekeeping network and municipalities in a water emergency in the Santiago region receiving help to face water scarcity.
The police press office confirmed to Reuters that seven police officers were injured by bees as they tried to remove the hives from the street and disperse the protesters.
Reference: CNN Brasil
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