After being in the spotlight following the arrest of the former Guatemalan vice president, and following the calls for impeachment for current President Otto Pérez Molina, the protests have moved Carlos “Pescadito” Ruiz to speak out against the government. In an unlikely move by any athlete, one of Guatemala’s most recognized figures joined everyday people in protest against Pérez. The retired futbolero wore his Guatemala jersey and said that Pérez was not his president, according to Publisport. Pescadito Ruiz also wrote a message on his Instagram account. “I have represented my country, Guatemala, with pride and love 120 times, trying to do so in the best way possible,” the screencap of the post read. “Today, I do it at the Plaza de la Constitución with 15,000 Guatemalans, to ask the person who has brought my country into our most profound crisis to resign. It is without a doubt the most important chapter of my life! #yonotengopresidente #renunciaya.”
The president has previously been tied to mass murder and corruption. When he was an Army commander, he killed indigenous people, students, and others that were deemed guerrilla sympathizers, according to Boing Boing. The country is in the middle of a national strike, because government corruption persisted. He has also been accused of taking bribes. “Citizens are demanding that these acts not be tolerated,” former attorney general Claudia Paz y Paz said to the New York Times. “When they see that people are pocketing public funds, it generates indignation.”