Colombia: general strike and demonstrations against President Duque's policies
Colombia: fourth "general strike" in Colombia this Wednesday, October 21, after eleven months of protest against the policies of the Duque government.
Trade unions, students and Indian communities march side by side in the capital.
REUTERS / Luisa Gonzalez
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Wednesday October 21 was a day of general strike in Colombia.
Gatherings took place in around 20 towns.
The demonstrators, workers' unions and indigenous communities who joined the movement, demand guarantees for the application of the peace agreement signed four years ago, the protection of social and political leaders murdered in large numbers, the right to health and respect for workers' rights.
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In Medellin, the second city of the country, there were thousands in the street, reports our correspondent,
Najet Benrabaa
.
They paraded, protective masks over their mouths and caps screwed on to their heads or an umbrella in their hands to protect themselves from the sun.
Among them, Rosa America Peñalosa from CUT, the Unitary Central of Workers of the Antioquia region.
"
We are asking for a basic social income, decent work for health personnel, that we do not have to go back to class to avoid contagion, aid for small and medium-sized enterprises which represent 60% of decent work
" , explains the trade unionist.
Presence of the natives
This march marks eleven months of protest against the current government.
A mobilization interrupted by the end of the year holidays, followed by a general confinement of five months from March 25 to stop the spread of Covid-19.
Indian communities joined the procession in Medellin.
This presence of Indian communities is a symbol of unity which Luis Alonso Londoño Zapata rejoices in: “
This means that with each protest, the population adheres more to the movement.
This shows that there is a real sense of coming together, of union and of solidarity between all social sectors of the Colombian population.
"
In the capital Bogota too, there were thousands of them marching for this fourth “national strike”.
Among them, the 8,000 Indians who arrived Sunday, October 19 in Bogota, from Cauca, a region in the southwest of the country severely affected by nearly 60 years of conflict and by armed groups involved in drug trafficking.
The natives represent 4.4% of the population and are the most affected by poverty (59.6%).
Since October 10, they have requested a personal meeting with the Head of State and have traveled to Bogota following his refusal.
Colombia, Bogota October 21: the Indians who participate in the minga have gathered since Sunday October 19 in the large central square of the capital while waiting to be received by President Duque.
They joined the general strike.
REUTERS / Luisa Gonzalez
68 massacres since the beginning of the year
The demonstrators also denounce the resurgence of violence in remote regions of the country, since the 2016 peace agreement with the Marxist guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).
The violence has notably resulted in 68 massacres since the beginning of 2020, according to the independent observatory Indepaz.
Experts believe that the government has failed in not taking control of the former Farc strongholds, which are now disputed by gangs, ex-rebellion dissidents and the National Liberation Army (ELN), the last guerrilla active.
Medellin, Bogota, Cali, Barranquilla and Cartagena are among the cities that have mobilized in the hope of being heard by Ivan Duque, in power since August 2018 and whose popularity has fallen to 38%.
Inequalities increased by the pandemic
In addition to popular discontent, the Colombian president is faced with the deterioration of the economy and security, against the backdrop of a pandemic which has so far left nearly 30,000 dead in this country of 50 million inhabitants.
Colombians also oppose poverty (35.7% in 2019) and inequalities increased by the pandemic in this country, which is already the most unequal of the 37 members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD ).
Teachers also refuse to resume classes when the country approaches one million cases of Covid-19 and demand the application of agreements reached last year with the Ministry of Education.
March of ex-guerrillas
In addition to this Wednesday's mobilization, there was a march of former guerrillas from the South to rally Bogota on November 1 and denounce the assassinations of 234 of them.
Previous demonstrations had taken place in September against police brutality after the death of a man at the hands of the police.
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To read also: Colombia: the Indians carry their claims to the heart of the capital
Seguimos caminando las carreteras del oriente, pedimos la solidaridad y la ayuda de la ciudadanía y las autoridades para frenar este exterminio contra las y los firmantes de la paz.
Proximamente llegaremos a # Bogotá. # PorLaVidaPorLaPaz pic.twitter.com/ThdNViL0Pg
FARC (@PartidoFARC) October 21, 2020
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