Overview
- The phrase appeared during a central moment of the 2026 Virgen de la Candelaria festivities in Puno and drew an immediate ovation from the crowd.
- Reports frame the gesture within the memory of January 2023 in Juliaca, when interventions by security forces during nationwide protests left dozens dead.
- Attendees interpreted the display as an assertion of regional identity and remembrance for a population that refuses to forget its dead.
- Coverage highlights a broader perception of political and media stigmatization from Lima, citing the 2025 mass rejection of broadcaster Phillip Butters during a visit to the region.
- The UNESCO-recognized festival is depicted as a cultural stage where citizens express symbolic demands for respect, memory and recognition.