Dollar supporters destroy Bitcoin ATM in El Salvador

[Lucius]

Being yesterday a holiday and a commemoration of the 200 years of independence from the Spanish Empire, there were bags of people everywhere, with demonstrations and counter demonstrations. Easy pastures to stir up some smallish alleged anti-bitcoin protests amidst it all.

Thank you for this very important information that sheds a completely different light on this whole situation, because it seems that those who are against Bitcoin used the national holiday to send the world a completely wrong picture. In a country of 6.5 million people, how many are actually protesting against Bitcoins - a few hundred or a few thousand?

I wonder if people also protested when El Salvador left its national currency 20 years ago and replaced it with the US dollar? Regardless of our attitudes when it comes to Bitcoin, every country is economically strong as much as its currency and domestic banks are stable - when you lose that you become just a monetary slave exploited by the IMF, the World Bank, and similar institutions that blackmail you into doing what they want in exchange for financial aid.

[ChiBitCTy]

Yeah this whole thing is really odd.  I guess I am not sure why the would do this.  Well, I guess I shouldn't completely say that, there are some people who simply don't like the implications that bitcoin brings about and it would seem to me that that is what is going on here.  They don't like the change, they don't like the out of the norm change, they don't like to embrace the technology etc.  Very odd.

[Ararbermas]

They're doing that for some reason and of course someone is paying them as well to do that stupid things. Because infact no one is forcing them to use bitcoin tho, and they can still used dollars everywhere within the country wherein for short its optional..so i have doubts someone's paying those people to destroy the image of bitcoin maybe a competitors of El Salvador ? Lol

[bryant.coleman]

They're doing that for some reason and of course someone is paying them as well to do that stupid things. Because infact no one is forcing them to use bitcoin tho, and they can still used dollars everywhere within the country wherein for short its optional..so i have doubts someone's paying those people to destroy the image of bitcoin maybe a competitors of El Salvador ? Lol

The opposition parties have opposed the move from president Nayib Bukele to make Bitcoin legal tender along with US Dollar. So naturally I would assume that this is the work of the opposition. That said, I can't completely rule out the involvement of transnational players here. Do you really think that the Americans would sit idle, if they feel that there is a threat to US Dollar? El Salvador is a small country, but if somehow the implementation is successful, then what is the guarantee that other countries will not follow the measure? And trust me. CIA has overthrown regimes and assassinated politicians in Latin America for less serious issues.

[dkbit98]

Some people have gone crazy in El Salvador protest burning Bitcoin ATMs, but what if all those protests are secretly supported and sponsored by bankers and IMF, who are against Bitcoin.
You can find fanatics in every country and it's even easier to find people you can bribe, I learned important lesson in my life that majority of protest and demonstrations have some hidden agenda.
It's not that hard to find some poor people, offer them to make some money and convince them how Bitcoin is terrible and how it will destroy their country and economy, this is especially easy to do in socialist countries.
I don't know exact political situation in El Salvador and what politicians are against president Bukele, but it's very easy to manipulate people and this was a big protest with thousands of people, not small group like some claimed before



Now imagine people in this country supporting sinking US dollar titanic as their only currency, and fear hating Bitcoin in the same time 

[Kusman]

These people are just morons. Why would someone destroy a Bitcoin ATM when there is no reason to take such action? If you don't like Bitcoin, then show it in a decent way. Bitcoin ATMs mean no harm for you. They are just staying there. It is your choice to use it or not. There is no need to act like a barbarian. I hope that these morons can be punished for this action.

[cicadasTR]

As @stompix pointed out, the people themselves may have reason to dislike their president who has a lot of admirers in the Bitcoin world. Adopting Bitcoin as legal tender is a progressive move but the president will need a plan to make people realize the benefits or even to bring them those benefits.

Those people are not a forum or a shitcoin discord/ Telegram. They are a real country with real problems and flipping a few NFTs for profit cannot be the answer for a whole country. It must be accepted that the people are probably too tech-illiterate to make good use of the opportunities with crypto.

If this is meant to be a banking replacement for them, this should also be explicitly communicated. Launching a wallet and then airdropping everyone some Satoshis is a marketing move, not a long term plan. Have we heard of any long term vision from the president on how Bitcoin will benefit his impoverished nation?

Don't think this got enough attention. This isn't about bitcoin, this is about fundamental concerns in what is considered a failed state. Obviously Bitcoin ATMs are not what is needed there.

"They accuse the president of using authoritarian means to tighten his grip on power.

Mr Bukele has moved to cement control over the judiciary which recently cleared him to run for office for a second successive term despite constitutional limits.

"It's important to say this morning: Enough already! What the government is doing is arrogant, it is authoritarianism," protester Dora Rivera told Reuters news agency."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-58579415

[mk4]

I think they are concerned that they could be affected. When a much higher number of people use Bitcoin and only few use fiat, they are skeptic that their fiat could loss value. But anyways, no matter the reason behind this, it is normal that a certain group of people will oppose it (not surprised)

They're using the US dollar though; not a separate local currency. If anything, the bitcoin adoption in El Salvador won't even make a dent in USD's value because of how liquid it is.

[EdenHazard]

I think they are concerned that they could be affected. When a much higher number of people use Bitcoin and only few use fiat, they are skeptic that their fiat could loss value. But anyways, no matter the reason behind this, it is normal that a certain group of people will oppose it (not surprised)

They're using the US dollar though; not a separate local currency. If anything, the bitcoin adoption in El Salvador won't even make a dent in USD's value because of how liquid it is.

they are just exaggerrating...  furious that bitcoin could destroy their future with its high risk and volatile one.
i agree that you could simply stay away if you are not really into bitcoin,  but those acts are too much.
they have got losing control and irrational.

just look who will smiling in the end. bitcoin is the future, not the other ways around.

[shield132]

Why? Just why? Why do people think that 5G networks are created in order to manage them, why do people think that vaccines are created in order to kill the population, why do people think that America (for example) want to abandon small countries, ruin their culture and deprive nations? Why, why people have these kind of thoughts?

Guys, you know what's the problem here? Education!!! People prefer centralized system over decentralized and better one and destroy good version. Governments print money, take loans from us that we have to pay. Imagine, someone takes loan from you and you cover that loan, hilarious and people destroy bitcoin ATMs, why? Is this a devil thing? Just why? My answer is - lack of education!

[Artemis3]

Astounded by the amazing success of Bitcoin implementation in El Salvador, anti-social elements sponsored by the USD lobby have started vandalizing and destroying the Bitcoin ATMs installed by the government. The Bitcoin implementation has proceeded relatively smoothly and this has angered those who were expecting it to fail. I don't expect them to stop with this. The next step may be rioters beating up anyone who is using Bitcoin and vandalizing shops that accept BTC as a payment mode.

]

As i said in another thread, here is the kind of people protesting "against Bitcoin" in El Salvador:



Her argument? "There is no price fixing".

The cap she is wearing is important, it is the symbol of the current ruling power in Venezuela. You know, THE people who made the current world's worst fiat. So she wants the same thing in El Salvador, a coin that has lost 14 zeroes in 13 years, a coin that had its price "fixed" by decree in 2004 (a peg), to 1600 Bs per USD. Today, even with the USD losing value, you need 402036337000 per USD, but because they slashed 3 zeroes in 2008, and 5 zeroes in 2018, it is currently expressed as 4020363.37. BUT, next month they slashed 6 zeroes so it would be 4, more likely 5 by October. How long until they slash zeroes again? I give it a year at most. They think they have "defeated capitalism" and won with the infinite money making machine...

Who is exactly Arena and FMLN? The traditional parties that have ensured eternal poverty in El Salvador? The first calls themselves "Nationalist Republic" a "right wing" party founded by a General in 1981, the second is a joint of "left wing" communist and socialist parties typical of the of the 20th century.

And BOTH are marching against Bitcoin, but only because the current president is independent of these two. They probably don't know and don't care about Bitcoin, just that Bukele won the popular vote and now they "claim" that people don't want Bitcoin. Is it any surprise that those would resort to violence? That says A LOT of the kind of people this opposition is.

Opposition to freedom, from the very same State they claim is imposing on them, how ironic, it is because they don't REALLY know Bitcoin.

I don't care about Bukele but attacking Bitcoin is absolute ignorance or worse, people getting manipulated for the ulterior motive of them trying to regain power. Hopefully the vast majority knows the truth.

[Renampun]

Astounded by the amazing success of Bitcoin implementation in El Salvador, anti-social elements sponsored by the USD lobby have started vandalizing and destroying the Bitcoin ATMs installed by the government. The Bitcoin implementation has proceeded relatively smoothly and this has angered those who were expecting it to fail. I don't expect them to stop with this. The next step may be rioters beating up anyone who is using Bitcoin and vandalizing shops that accept BTC as a payment mode.

Check this:
https://twitter.com/LaPagina/status/1438209829097590791
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-15/bitcoin-atm-burned-in-el-salvador-amid-anti-bukele-protests

So sad, they don't know what they've done...

they must have been indoctrinated by the 'Bitcoin is a bad thing' mindset. I hope they can be held responsible for the vandalism they did because bitcoin is good for the future of the country of El Salvador.

[South Park]

This is what fear looks like.
The US dollar overlords have been angry and scared from the day El Salvador announced that they were going to accept bitcoin as legal tender reducing their reliance of USD.
The government needs to deal with those damaging public property fiercely to send a message.

I agree that something must be done but it needs to be done correctly otherwise those that are destroying bitcoin ATMs are going to claim they are being prosecuted unfairly, however I think we all know what is really going on, those people are being paid to do this, even if bitcoin is now legal tender if there is a store that says to you they do not accept bitcoin no one is going to force them, similar to what happens with credit cards which many stores still do not accept, so it is obvious this is not about this and those at the top are worried that everything is marching so smoothly at El Salvador.

[hatshepsut93]

Astounded by the amazing success of Bitcoin implementation in El Salvador, anti-social elements sponsored by the USD lobby have started vandalizing and destroying the Bitcoin ATMs installed by the government.

If there really was some USD lobby, they wouldn't order someone to destroy Bitcoin ATMs, they would just target all the centralized exchanges or imposed sanctions or other hard measures on El Salvador.

These people are against Bitcoin because they are against Bukele, they accuse him of corruption and believe that Bitcoin will be used for his corrupt deeds.

[adzino]

It's all because how the media portrays bitcoin or other crypto currencies. Their people now thinks that the government officials are now going to use bitcoin to launder money and engage in corruption. If only those "dollar"/fiat currency supporters knew how bitcoin worked, I bet they would be more than happy to allow the integration of bitcoin. Their people who supports bitcoin should start preaching how bitcoin can be used against their government to stop them from any sort of financial corruption. Lets see how it all ends up  after a few month.

[worldofcoins]

Most likely it was planned by banks, paid supporters of the US dollar, I think it's a joke.

Banks for obvious reason can't do much about bitcoin now so they are using other mechanisms to get rid of Bitcoin but it isn't going to work, Cryptocurrencies are now widespread and there should be at least 50% of the total people that use banks also use bitcoin in some way or another and seeing this number rise is their fear.

[DarkDays]

If you don't like bitcoin, you can simply not use it and just continue using your preferred. Why need to cause damage? It's not like fiat users are going to be affected. Something's just so suspicious about this.

This aggression makes no sense. Either a sign of organised attack or simply people being utterly destructive for not much of a reason. Even if they feel attacked by the new approach it is not something to be dealt with in this manner.

The other bit is to find out if it was done because they were USD supporters or for other reason.

[franky1]

If you don't like bitcoin, you can simply not use it and just continue using your preferred. Why need to cause damage? It's not like fiat users are going to be affected. Something's just so suspicious about this.

the point is that because there is a value difference between the US dollar in the US vs elsalvador. . elsalvadorians fear that the arbitrage ability now possible between us-elsalv may actually make the dollar cost of good in elsalvador become much higher

take a couple examples
US mainland
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g)    2.74 $
Rice (white), (1kg)    3.98 $    

el salvador
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g)    1.58 $
Rice (white), (1kg)    1.35 $

imagine if bitcoin causes el salvador to have to put up its USD prices of bread to become 1.74x
imagine if bitcoin causes el salvador to have to put up its USD prices of rice to become 2.95x

yes elsalvador can just avoid using bitcoin. but that does not stop the exchange rate between mainland and el salv from flipping where the price of goods suddenly inflate in USD prices

another small group hated it because they were promised $30. but by the time they went to exchanges(atms) to cash out. they didnt get $30, so felt ripped off and lied to about a 'promise' told to them by government

[Kemarit]

If you don't like bitcoin, you can simply not use it and just continue using your preferred. Why need to cause damage? It's not like fiat users are going to be affected. Something's just so suspicious about this.

This aggression makes no sense. Either a sign of organised attack or simply people being utterly destructive for not much of a reason. Even if they feel attacked by the new approach it is not something to be dealt with in this manner.

The other bit is to find out if it was done because they were USD supporters or for other reason.

Yes, and those who burn the ATM machine should be dealt with the hands of the law.

Not only did they burnt the ATM machines, but nearby furniture shops as well. So that's arson already. As far as the protesters though, not sure if it has something to do with USD or some entities are behind to crypto chaos since the country has legalised Bitcoin (there could be some politics behinds).

[killerfrost]

I still don't understand why they don't like it, and they destroy it, is this really what people think.
It may be a bit harsh, but to me, those are actions that go against human development.
If we all think and act like this, I think we live in hell. But there are many conspiracy theories I've heard about wanting to control the market in some way, and this is also one of the things they do to control it.