An anti-Bitcoin logo and a placard reading “democracy is not for sale” could be spotted defaced on the Chivo ATM as demonstrators protest against the El Salvador’s president.
Bitcoin critics and those opposing the policies of El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele have demolished a cryptocurrency kiosk in the country’s capital, San Salvador.
On Wednesday, the news site Teleprensa and others shared videos on social media showing a Chivo-supported kiosk in San Salvador engulfed in flames in the midst of a mob of reporters and protesters.
There were anti-BTC emblems on the Bitcoin machine, as well as a placard that read “democracy is not for sale,” on the machine, which was one of many set up by the El Salvador government since the country’s acceptance of the cryptocurrency as legal coinage.
Los manifestantes quemaron el kiosko Chivo como medida de protesta contra el #Bitcoin. Vía @Luis33Tv #Teleprensa33 #Nacionales pic.twitter.com/XlacUWCPNN
— Teleprensa (@Teleprensa33) September 15, 2021City personnel were evacuated from the area after receiving threats, according to San Salvador Mayor Mario Durán, who stated that they would return later this afternoon.
At the time of publication, it appears that the damage has been limited to the Chivo machine at the Plaza Gerardo Barrios in the heart of the capital city, but protesters are also said to have set fire to furniture from one of the plaza’s shops, according to media reports.
In El Salvador, there are approximately 200 Chivo kiosks, which are similar to Bitcoin ATMs. They are part of the government’s push to accept Bitcoin as legal cash alongside the United States dollar.
In a recent interview, President Bukele expressed his hope that cryptocurrency ATMs will ultimately be “everywhere” in the country, but he also stated that no one will be forced to use Bitcoin.
Even before the Bitcoin Law entered into force on September 7, El Salvador encountered opposition to the legislation’s apparent radicalism and resisted its implementation.
Popular Resistance and Rebellion Block protesters took to the streets of the nation’s capital in July, while a group of retirees, veterans, disability pensioners, and other workers staged their own rally the following month, according to the Associated Press.
#️⃣ #AHORA | Grandes marchas en El Salvador, contra el presidente Bukele, por el uso del Bitcoin. pic.twitter.com/fnsBjQIJ0e
— Mundo en Conflicto (@MundoEConflicto) September 15, 2021The price of bitcoin fell below $43,000 on the same day that the country’s Bitcoin Law entered into force, prompting Bukele to declare that he had “purchased the dip” by purchasing an extra 150 bitcoins. When this article went to press, the Bitcoin price was $48,978. It had gained more than 3 percent in the previous 24 hours.
