New day of protest in Colombia. Today, for the eighth consecutive day, demonstrations are planned in the main cities of the country. A week after the riots began, the toll is 20 dead and 800 injured. Students, trade unions, social organizations and indigenous communities took to the streets, as well as ordinary citizens protesting against the reforms of President Ivan Duque .
It all started with the new tax law. The resignation of the Minister of Finance, Alberto Carrasquilla, was not enough to calm the spirits, and the demonstrations have widened against the whole package of reforms on pensions, health and work to relieve the Colombian economy from the effects of the pandemic.
En Bogota Seguimos # 4M #ColombiaResiste #ColombiaSOS en manifestacion pacifica. pic.twitter.com/pQMlivHTMp
– Felipe Ramirez (@feliperamirezjj) May 4, 2021
To try to lower tensions, Duque called for a national dialogue between political sectors and members of civil society: “We will install a space to listen to citizens and build solutions. Ideological differences should not prevail, but profound patriotism. The participation of all institutions, parties, the private sector, governors, mayors and leaders of civil society is vital ”. However, the president reiterated that violence by “misfits who engage in vandalism, terrorism and violence” will not be tolerated.
The United States spoke out on the situation in Colombia, condemning the violent events. Jalina Porter, spokesperson for the US State Department, said: “All over the world, citizens in democratic countries have the indisputable right to protest peacefully. Violence and vandalism are an abuse of that right […] At the same time we ask the public force to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further loss of life ”. The US therefore “recognizes the Colombian government’s commitment to investigate allegations of police excesses and human rights violations and continues to support the government’s efforts to address the situation through political dialogue”.
The European Union has also expressed concern about the Colombian crisis.Peter Stano , spokesman for the European Commission, said that Brussels “is following events in Colombia very closely, condemning the violence, but also has confidence in the ability of Colombian institutions to investigate the facts, respect the rights of demonstrators and ensure that there is no disproportionate use of force by the security authorities […] We are following very closely what is happening in Colombia and this is a source of concern. The EU condemns acts of violence against the legitimate right to protest and the freedom of peaceful assembly and expression ”.
From what we read from the Nova agency, Marta Hurtado, spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed “deep concern” about the violence recorded in the city of Cali, where the protests started: “Our office in Colombia is working to verify the exact number of victims […] Human rights defenders also report being harassed and threatened […] We remind state authorities of their responsibility to protect human rights, including the right to life and security of the person, and to facilitate exercise of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly “.
