Crowds march in support of bishops over Ortega attacks

Thousands of Nicaraguans marched through their capital on Saturday in a show of support for the country’s bishops whom President Daniel Ortega has accused of aiding an attempted “coup” against him.

The rally brought together Catholics, evangelicals and non-Christians under images of the Virgin Mary and Nicaraguan flags, and cries of “freedom” and “Bishop, buddy, the people are with you.”

It was another display of popular opposition to Ortega, who has become reviled by large sections of Nicaragua’s population of six million for a brutal three-month crackdown on anti-government protests in which more than 300 people have been killed.

The president has been able to impose a period of relative calm on the country after police and loyalist paramilitaries firing weapons crushed opposition hubs in Managua and the nearby city of Masaya this month.

One of the raids targeted youths taking shelter in a church in the capital, killing two.

After those operations, Ortega this week declared “the turmoil is over.”

He also accused the country’s bishops, who have been trying to bring about a peaceful solution by mediating talks between the government and the opposition, of helping those challenging him, whom he called “coup-mongers” and “terrorists.”

Ortega, 72, has ruled Nicaragua for 22 of the past 39 years.