AFRICA

Eswatini (Security threat level – 3): Anti-government demonstrators have called for a general strike in Eswatini on 15 November 2022, to demand the release of two members of Parliament who were arrested in June 2021 on terrorism charges. Public transportation services in the capital Mbabane are suspended and most businesses in the city are shut down. Meanwhile, police officers and soldiers fired rounds of live ammunition at demonstrators participating in a march in central Mbabane. At least one person was reportedly injured in the violence.

ASIA

China (Security threat level – 3): Overnight on 14-15 November 2022, hundreds of residents and migrant workers escaped from a coronavirus-related community lockdown in the Haizhu district of the southern city of Guangzhou and proceeded to protest and riot in the city’s streets in response to the country’s stringent coronavirus restrictions. Videos circulating on social media platforms show hundreds of people defying the district’s coronavirus lockdown measures while marching in the streets and tearing down COVID control barriers. According to local government authorities, riot police have been deployed to Haizhu district to control the situation. There have been no reports of arrests or notable violent confrontations between police officers and protesters.

CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

Jamaica (Security threat level – 3): Private bus and taxi operators in Jamaica are expected to continue their countrywide strike for a second consecutive day on 15 November 2022, following the government’s refusal to revoke their unpaid traffic tickets. The Transport Operators Development Sustainable Services called for a three-day strike beginning on 14 November to demand that the government either establish a payment plan for drivers who have unpaid traffic tickets or annul the citations. The strike has caused significant disruptions to bus and taxi services on the island, particularly in the parishes of Clarendon, Kingston, Saint Andrew, Saint Catherine and Saint Mary.

EUROPE

Spain (Security threat level – 2): On 15 November 2022, truck drivers in Spain suspended a nationwide strike that began the previous day over road freight regulations amid rising cost of living expenses. Hundreds of truck drivers affiliated with the National Platform for the Defense of Transport had called for an indefinite strike as of 14 November and staged an accompanying protest in the capital Madrid. Traffic on roads between the Atocha train station and Parliament was briefly disrupted due to the protest. Demonstrators demanded that government officials make changes to current road freight rules, which have led to low wages for truckers. In response to the strike, authorities had deployed approximately 50,000 police officers across the country to monitor for possible violence.

NORTH AMERICA

Mexico (Security threat level – 4): On 14 November 2022, indigenous people and students gathered in Nahuatzen municipality in the state of Michoacán — located approximately 75 km (45 mi) west of the state capital Morelia — to protest the arrest of three students affiliated with the normalista student movement. Police officers clashed with the demonstrators, who reportedly blocked the passage of at least five commercial vehicles to demand the release of the detainees. The protesters threw stones and sticks at the officers, who fired shots into the air to disperse the crowd. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Authorities arrested four people during the incident.