Second day of national strike against Iván Duque in Columbus …

Colombia commemorated the anniversary of the historic protests that took place last November with a second day of national strike. In Bogotá and Medellín, epicenter of the mobilizations, there was repression by the police. The conference was convened by central workers, social organizations and students. Also the sectors of peasantry mobilized in various regions of the country. The main complaints concerned President Iván Duque’s policy and his management of the pandemic. They also asked the persecution and death of social leaders. For Jorge López Ardila of the National Agrarian Coordinator (CNA), the militarized zones are those where these realities are most visible. “Since the 2016 peace accords, there have been more than a thousand social leaders dead», Said the peasant chief.

A generation without fear

On November 21, 2019, Colombian society has said enough. Many analysts have argued that a new generation has taken to the streets. Men and women who no longer carried the fear of their ancestors. The marches that began that day were repeated until the arrival of the coronavirus. Covid-19 seemed to work as a perfect ally for Duque that until that moment had already had more than a dozen deaths due to police repression. However, in September of this year, the mobilizations and the violent reaction of the government returned. Now the country is plunged into a national strike that will last until November 25. The main requirements of National unemployment committee are for one basic income, intervention in the health system, a real economic reactivation and an end to violence.

In the capital, social organizations and youth were at the forefront of the protest. The students were said to present again to denounce the adjustment caused by the dolphin of former president Álvaro Uribe. For Andres Rodriguez, of the Alternative Movement which militates in the popular districts of the city, the pandemic has revealed the violence that the most humble live on a daily basis. “It was not until 2020 in Bogotá that there were 597 cases of police violence. Last month, after the demonstrations that took place in September, threats from militarized forces against the popular movement increased, ”said the social leader. However, young people continue to assert their rights. “The neighbor’s son is the one walking today. He wants to study. He wants to live quietly. These are expressions of the unorganized civil society that has joined the protests since last year“Says Rodríguez.

In Bogotá, student organizations denounced having been persecuted and repressed by members of the ESMAD (Mobile Anti-Riot Squad). A group of students were locked inside the building of the National University. Police fired tear gas at the scene. Also in Medellín, the police force went out with mouth trucks against the demonstrators. At least four people have been arrested according to the published site Reports on Colombia.

La Paz in oblivion

Endemic violence is part of daily life in the country. The Institute for Development and Peace Studies reported that 242 signatories to the Peace Agreement who were part of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have been assassinated to date. From the Santander prefecture in the north of the country, López Ardila argues that the violence comes from the state. “We are living in genocide. In addition to the dead, we have companions who are imprisoned without evidence and then released. Persecution is also judicial», Indicated the peasant chief. The agrarian sector is also demanding a law on access to land. “We have large domains concentrated in the hands of multinationals. In recent months, this deepened by ddecrees of the national government which started to deliver vacant land to companiesSaid the CNA leader.

The violation of the peace agreements signed by former President Juan Manuel Santos with the FARC in 2016 was another of the demands of the days of strike. “The rise to power of the most right-wing sector of Centro Democrático, the party founded by Uribe, thwarted the agreement with the FARC. Part of the insurgency had been demobilized. It was a breakthrough. But the government does not have the will to comply with the agreements that have been made with the agricultural sector”Said López Ardila. He also points out that the free trade agreements signed with the United States and the countries of the European Union destroy local production. “To give you just one example, potato production suffers from imports from Belgium and the Netherlands. They bankrupt the peasantry», Indicated the agricultural leader. At the same time, they are calling for policies to promote the free production of pesticides. “The planned exits only favor large capital and agro-industry. It’s up to us to put the brakes on government and promote a path to food sovereignty, ”said López Ardila.

For Rodríguez, these demonstrations are only the beginning of a new cycle of struggles. “What we experienced last year is that there is a new history led by a new political generation. The agenda with which we end the year is a preview of what will happen next“Predicted the social activist. Monday, January 23, a great mobilization should be remembered Dilan Cruz, the young man shot by ESMAD. Since that day, the flags with his name have been waved at each step.