Nicaragua Solidarity Network, July 3rd 2018
June 30th Marcha de Las Flores, March of the Flowers
The march was supposed to go from Point A.: La Plaza de la Victoria to Point B.: La Rotunda de Jean Paul Genie.
But, like always, a certain group from the march gets others riled up, convincing a large group to head off in a different direction once they reach point B (this is what happened at the Mother's Day march as well). In this case an armed group convinced others to go west toward the UNAN from the Rotonda.
As they went about three to four blocks west you can see them in cars with weapons.- (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgCoMvNqFHA)
To get people riled up, some of them said that someone had been killed by a sniper. The government couldn’t have been involved as they couldn’t have known the group would go west. And at this point there was not yet anyone killed.
Once people were upset about someone supposedly having been killed. they convinced them that the snipers were actually the squatters on Piero Coen’s land, and that they were hired paramilitaries, and that they should go there.
We have video evidence that opposition groups went to a construction site next to Piero Coen’s land and robbed guns from the security guards.- (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oezEvOoVVH4)
After they got the guns they headed to the land of Piero Coen. During this confusion one person was killed and eleven squatters were injured.
There is video evidence of opposition forces kidnapping a poor old man who was on the land of Piero Coen. They beat him up claiming he was a paramilitary.- (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLS-JoCBO7Q)
Here is the police report - (http://www.radiolaprimerisima.com/noticias/general/245580/policia-investiga-ataque-tras-marcha-opositora/)