New mobilization for an inflexion of the politics of the president of right Ivan Duque, Wednesday, December 4 in Colombia. Several thousand people demonstrated quietly, on the fourteenth day of the mobilization, but the affluence was less than during the first marches.
The leaders of the movement intend to maintain the pressure they exert on the government of Ivan Duque, in office for 16 months, through this third day of demonstration in two weeks.
For the first day, November 21, a nationwide mobilization and well-attended strikes paralyzed Colombia.
The tax reform in question
The movement, unusual in this South American country, calls for the withdrawal of a tax reform project, the respect of the peace agreement with the former FARC guerrilla of 2016, a change in the liberal policy of Ivan Duque, more resources for the education sector, but also to put an end to the killings of community activists.
The demonstrators also demand the dismantling of the anti-disorder Mobile Squadron (Esmad), a repressive riot police. Esmad concentrates the anger of the protesters, outraged by the death, on November 25, of Dilan Cruz, 18, fatally wounded in the head by a bag of lead marbles fired by an agent of this special force.
In the streets of Bogota, several rallies were held Wednesday in peace. If the protesters were few in the morning, processions have gradually expanded over the course of the day.
"The Colombian people woke up"
Lawyers, trade unionists, students, natives or teachers, there were several thousand in the early afternoon to occupy the Bolivar Square, the historic heart of the capital, close to the presidency.
"The Colombian people have woken up," said Paola Jimenez, a 41-year-old lawyer, pan and spoon in hand to take part in "cacerolazo" (spoons hit on pots and pans). "Colombians are finding it increasingly difficult to live financially".
Nicolas, a student of architecture, waved a sign on which he had written: "the state lies more than my ex".
In adjacent streets, police and soldiers were deployed. Some roads were blocked in the capital and Cali (north-west), but the shops were open.
The anger movement in Colombia comes at a time when demonstrations are shaking or have recently shaken the power in Chile, Ecuador and Bolivia.
"National mobilization"
On Tuesday, the Colombian National Strike Committee, which brings together unions, students, teachers, indigenous and opposition leaders, met for the first time directly with presidential delegates, but no agreement was reached. Another meeting is scheduled for Thursday.
President Ivan Duque faces the biggest challenge Colombia has faced since the 1970s. He called on the organizers to cancel Wednesday's protests to alleviate the "economic effects" of the movement, which he said reached 285 people. millions of dollars of losses.
This is the third "National Mobilization" called by the National Strike Committee. But since 21 November, the protest has also taken the form of spontaneous demonstrations or organized every day by this or that sector of Colombian society.
They sometimes gather a few hundred, sometimes several thousand people. The protesters parade to the sound of "cacerolazos" to demand an inflection of the politics of Ivan Duque.
Since 21 November, four people have died in violence and 500 others have been injured, including civilians, soldiers and police. The fourth largest economy in Latin America, Colombia is one of the most unequal countries on the continent.