Videos: With massive appeals, thousands of Colombians abroad join protests

Images of posters, videos of Colombians dancing cumbia in European squares and cacerolazos in foreign countries continue to be topical this weekend. The figures known in recent days have sparked further protests by Colombians around the world.

According to the latest report from the Ombudsman’s Office from April 28 to May 7, they have already registered 548 people were reported missing, while 26 others died, including 25 civilians, and 1 member of the police force.

Likewise, the NGO Tremors registered until 10 a.m. this Saturday, May 8 1,814 cases of violence by the police, 39 homicides by the police, 278 victims of police violence, 963 arbitrary arrests of demonstrators and 12 victims of sexual violence committed by soldiers.

The call abroad has been heard and Colombians have organized multiple protests in countries such as the United States, Spain, Germany, France, and more and more voices are joining in support of the national strike.

This Saturday, hundreds of Colombians gathered Madrid, Zaragoza and Valencia. A giant Colombian flag opened the march at Puerta de Alcalá in the Spanish capital. The mobilization passed through the center of the city until it reached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“We defend the lives and human rights of the Colombians who are there, truly unprotected” Natalia Peña, coordinator of the teams that organized the mobilization, told EFE. The cumbias and the national anthem were also present at the march.

Likewise, this Saturday, hundreds of Colombians gathered in France in the Place de la République in Paris. On behalf of hundreds of people, they wrote a statement explaining the reasons for their participation in the protest. They expressed that these days are part of the continuity of the mobilizations at the end of 2019 which are carried out to “demand the implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement and guarantees for the protection of social leaders, indigenous populations, Afro. – descendants and peasants, that they continue to be the object of threats, violence and assassinations ”.

They also added that it is necessary “Stop the massacre of the Colombian people, the prosecution and punishment of those responsible for state repression. We call for a profound transformation of the police institution and the dismantling of Esmad ”.

At Nantes and Lyon There was also a day of peaceful protests and the Colombians danced and sang to the typical song Colombia dear land.

At Geneva, Switzerland, a sit-in took place at the Place des Nations in front of the UN to denounce the genocide taking place in Colombia.

There, some demonstrators decided to speak out and express their disagreement with the violence suffered in the country. “Today, facing the situation in Colombia, we feel sadness, helplessness and frustration, once again we see through social networks the violence with which they repressed us and the chaos that this neoliberal, capitalist, patriarchal and oppressive system created in which our country is immersed ”, one of the protesters expressed through a video.

Argentina It was also the epicenter of the marches in support of the national strike. Both in Buenos Aires and Cordoba, there was a massive mobilization of Colombians with posters with messages such as “If protesting is a danger, what law?” or “I protest in Argentina because in my country, they kill me”.

At New York, a sector of the Colombian community demonstrated in front of the headquarters of the The United Nations must ask the international organization to intervene and help in the face of the crisis facing the country. This group of Colombians then moved to Times Square and managed to bridge the iconic intersection of Manhattan avenues.

Likewise, hundreds of Colombians gathered in Berlin, germany, to protest peacefully. Protesters marched towards the Colombian embassy and the Brandenburg Gate, joining the national strike. “In Berlin, hundreds of Colombians take to the streets and walk to the rhythm of Alfredo Gutiérrez’s accordion. Our people will not allow any dictatorship “, commented a user on Twitter.

At Brussels, capital of Belgium, there was also a day of demonstrations by Colombians who live there. Spokesmen for the concentration called on the European Union and Belgium to “Do not close your eyes to this situation” because “the trade agreement between the EU and Colombia cannot be above the right to life and the ethical and moral values ​​that the EU defends ”.

“We stand in solidarity with the Colombian people in their struggle for their rights against the neoliberal model that it is implemented with blood, ”MEP Miguel Urbán told the EFE Agency.

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