Colombia

The Struggle Continues in Colombia

May 22, 2021 Gearóid Ó Loingsigh, Left Voice. Resist! Class Struggle, Colombia, Ivan Duque, State Violence

Colombia's wave of protests continues unabated. On May 12th, there were massive demonstrations throughout the country, indicating that the movement shows no immediate signs of waning. Between the last national mobilisation and this one there were numerous smaller protests around Bogotá and some big ones in other cities. It is clear from these demonstrations how popular the revolt is. Walking back from the north of the city, I encountered just such a demonstration a few days ago, one of many throughout the city that day. What struck me was the number of cars, motorbikes, and commercial vehicles sounding their horns in support. A Coca Cola supply lorry even joined in. At 6.40 PM, after sunset the Police attacked what can only be described as revellers --- the protest was over and they were just enjoying themselves.

Repression Of National Protests In Colombia Is Backed By The United States

May 17, 2021 Margaret Flowers, Clearing the FOG. Podcast Colombia, Neoliberalism, State Repression, US Imperialism

Colombians have been on a national strike since April 28 with protests in 500 cities and blockades that have shut down the major highway. The protests were sparked by a proposed bill that would place the burden of financing the country's debt on the people while cutting taxes for the wealthy, but economic conditions for most people have been in decline for a long time. The government has responded to the protests with violent repression by its militarized police that are funded and trained by the United States. Clearing the FOG speaks with Charo Mina-Rojas, a human rights defender in Colombia who was a leader in the 2016 peace agreement, about the protests, the conditions and the political environment in Colombia.

What’s Happening With Youth Protest And Police In Colombia

May 16, 2021 Manuela Vega, Toronto Star. Resist! Colombia, State Violence, Youth Activism

The demonstrations in Bogotá, Colombia kick off with musical performances, theatrical shows and people in traditional dress; they’re like festivals. Young people fill the capital’s major transitways and the Plaza de Simon Bolivar, a downtown square that is home to several culturally and politically significant buildings, to have their voices heard, Yaneth Ordoñez, an artist and high school teacher at the protests said. But this time, the government has met civilians with bullets. On April 28, Colombians protested, in large part, as a response to tax increases proposed by president Iván Duque’s government. Critics said the proposal would have weighed heavily on lower and middle class citizens — especially as the pandemic has increased economic hardship — while sparing the wealthy.

Colombians Continue To Resist As National Strike Completes 15 Days

May 15, 2021 Peoples Dispatch. Resist! Colombia, Human Rights, Ivan Duque, Violence

Since April 28, hundreds of thousands of Colombians have been organizing and mobilizing across the country as a part of the national strike against the far-right government of President Ivan Duque and his neoliberal policies. The national strike was called for by the trade unions, social organizations and left-wing political parties against the Sustainable Solidarity Bill, a tax reform bill presented by the national government that sought to finance the fiscal deficit incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic from the pockets of the working class. After five days of massive protests, Duque announced the withdrawal of the bill. However, Colombians have remained on the streets demanding that the government address the broader issues facing the country.

If I Fall In The Struggle, Take My Place

May 14, 2021 Vijay Prashad, Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. Educate! Colombia, Neoliberalism, Palestine, State Violence

Ugliness defines the mood of state violence from Cali (Colombia) to Durban (South Africa), each context different and the depth of the violence particular to the location. Images of security forces cracking down on people trying to express their political rights have become commonplace. It is impossible to keep track of the events, which move swiftly from public manifestations to courtroom scenes, from the dissipation of tear gas to the invisible frustration of the prison cell. Yet, underlying these events and amidst the range of feelings that shape them lies a sense of refusal, the Great Refusal, the refusal to accept the terms dictated from those in power and the refusal to express this dissent in polite terms.

Colombia Has Lost Its Fear

May 14, 2021 Crimethinc. Resist! Colombia, Neoliberalism, Police, State Violence

After decades of armed conflict and paramilitary violence, Colombia has seen protest movements return in strength over the past year and a half. The forceful demonstrations of the past week exceed even the high points of the nationwide uprising of November and December 2019. In response, the most heavily armed government in Latin America has carried out a brutal crackdown. The COVID-19 pandemic and its social and economic consequences have hit Colombia hard. The country is reaching a breaking point as the ruling class attempts to squeeze the last drops of profit out of an already suffering populace kept in line via intense police violence. Although these conditions are especially extreme, they are not unique to Colombia—they resemble similar situations in Greece, Brazil, and elsewhere around the world.

Colombia: Anti-Government Protests

May 14, 2021 Adriaan Alsema, Colombia Reports. Resist! Colombia, Ivan Duque, Police, State Violence

Colombia’s security forces apparently entered panic mode and the government of President Ivan Duque all but collapsed after the US Congress reiterated threats to cut military funds. The panic was most evident on the National Army’s twitter page, which suddenly began publishing in Spanglish about mysterious “spirit of body and military training.” The prosecution and the police additionally announced investigations into reports on widespread human rights violations against anti-government protesters. This violence that surged after protests began on April 28 suddenly stopped on Wednesday when police apparently retreated from the streets in the major cities.

From Palestine To Colombia: The End Of The White World Colonial/Capitalist Project?

May 13, 2021 Ajamu Baraka, Black Agenda Report. Educate! Capitalism, Colombia, Palestine, White Supremacy

The world is shocked by the image of an eleven-story residential building in Gaza collapsing from a bomb dropped by the Israeli Defense Force, one of the most advanced armies in the world thanks to U.S. support. But in the U.S., Andrew Yang, former presidential candidate and now candidate for mayor of New York, proudly proclaims that he stands with the heroic people of Israel who are under attack from the vicious, occupied Palestinians who have no army, no rights, and no state. But as politically and morally contradictory as Yang’s sentiments might appear to be for many, the alternative world of Western liberalism has a different standard. In that world, liberals claim that all are equal with inalienable rights, but in practice some lives are more equal and more valuable than others.

How Biden Funded Colombia’s Deadly Police Regime

May 8, 2021 Sam Carliner, Left Voice. Educate! Colombia, Joe Biden, Police, State Repression

In the last week, Colombia has exploded in nationwide protests and work stoppages against the government of President Ivan Duque. With over 19 people killed by state forces in the last week, and with image after image of brutal police repression going viral across the world, the protests have sparked international outrage and concerns about human rights abuses. Joining this chorus of voices is a growing number of organizations and politicians urging Joe Biden’s government to take direct action to curb police violence in Colombia and stop its continued funding of the country’s brutal riot cops, commonly referred to as ESMAD. For its part, the U.S. Department of State issued a mealy-mouthed statement condemning the violence and upholding the people’s “unquestionable right to protest peacefully” while also supporting “the Colombian government’s efforts to address the current situation through political dialogue.”

Colombian Security Forces Are Massacring People On The Streets

May 8, 2021 Pablo Navarrete, The Canary. Resist! Colombia, Ivan Duque, Neoliberalism, State Repression

In Colombia the right-wing government of Iván Duque is killing people taking part in an ongoing national strike protesting the government’s economic policies and widespread human rights abuses. Since the strike began at the end of April, Colombian human rights groups have estimated that 26 protestors have been killed by the government’s infamous security forces. In addition to the killings, there has been a major militarisation of cities, with reports of disappearances, sexual assaults on women protestors, and other abuses committed by the security forces. Local human rights organisations have registered 1,181 cases of police violence so far. Many Colombians are pleading for an end to this horrifying state violence.

Rebellion Sweeps Colombia Despite Deadly Repression

May 7, 2021 Chris Banks, Liberation News. Resist! Colombia, Massacres, Neoliberalism, State Violence

Massive protests are taking place throughout Colombia as people stand firm in the face of deadly police violence. Since April 28, when a general strike was called to oppose deeply regressive proposed tax reforms, nationwide demonstrations against far right President Iván Duque have been ongoing. “The repression on the streets perpetuated by the police force is systematic,” a young protester in Colombia who wished to remain anonymous told Liberation, “The ESMAD [Mobile Anti-Disturbances Squadron] along with the national police shoots without remorse rubber bullets, tear gas and attack the protestors.” This is the third wave of nationwide protests faced by Duque’s extreme anti-worker regime since taking office in 2018. Each time his administration has responded with massive police violence.

Colombia’s National Strike: An On-the-Ground Report

May 6, 2021 By Gearóid Ó Loingsigh, Left Voice. Resist! Colombia, National Strike, Neoliberalism, State Repression

Colombia’s national strike — or paro (stoppage) as it is called locally — began on April 28 with enormous protests and on May 5 entered its eighth day, with another round of mass protests around the country. Truck drivers and rural communities have joined in, paralyzing entire swathes of the country. What provoked these protests was yet another tax reform from the extreme right-wing government of Iván Duque, the third of his government. As the Colombian economist Libardo Sarmiento Anzola wrote in Le Monde Diplomatique: The three tax reforms of the Duque administration (2018–2022) have one common denominator: benefits for the large companies and a greater tax burden for 80 percent of the population, which is poor and vulnerable, through a mechanism that squeezes from both sides: on one hand, higher taxes on their personal income, and on the other hand taxes on their consumption of basic foodstuff.1

Progressive International Statement On The Duque Massacres In Colombia.

May 5, 2021 Progressive International. Resist! Colombia, Ivan Duque, Massacre, Neoliberalism

On 28 April, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in a nation-wide strike to oppose the neoliberal

Colombia: Violent Repression Of Anti-Government Protests

May 3, 2021 Adriaan Alsema, Colombia Reports. Resist! Colombia, Indigenous Activism, Police, State Repression

Residents of Bogota and Medellin continued to report brutal police repression of anti-government protests while Colombia’s third largest city Cali retook the streets on Saturday. The massive turnout followed days of terror that left 10 people dead since Wednesday, the first day of a national strike against a tax reform proposed by the government of President Ivan Duque. The terrorizing of the local population diminished drastically after local human rights organizations accused Defense Minister Diego Molano of playing a key role in the alleged state terror campaign on Friday. Indigenous authorities from the nearby Cauca department sent indigenous to the city to provide protection against the Cali Police Department, the local mafia, and the security forces sent from Bogota.

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