Colombia – present day to 2019

A chronology

 (constantly updated)

Original date of post before updates: May 16th 2021

House of [In]Justice torched, La Plata, 17th May 2021

Whilst English-language anarchist and other anti-statist sites show how brutal capitalism in Colombia is, and show their solidarity with the uprising there, as far as I can see they give little information or critique – if any – about the ideas and ideologies of the participants in this uprising, nor of how anti-state ideas are received, nor of whether this movement is trying to go beyond strikes and riots – say, with occupations, organised expropriation and distribution of necessities, etc. Worse, they tend to concentrate on the protesters solely as victims of the obviously repulsive cop brutality, whilst writing  little about the excellent attacks on cops, looting, pulling down of statues, attacks on state or local state buildings, etc.

Obviously, living in France and having no contacts in Colombia I have no means of knowing much of what, at this level, has been happening. We have seen, for instance in the uprising in Chile in 2019, how anarchists, almost invariably, and certainly those in organisations, supported the idea of a change of constitution. They seem to have not only forgotten that a change of paper changes nothing but one suspects remaining silent about such a reform of the state was pursued for opportunist reasons of making themselves popular. One would hope that that will change – in Colombia as in Chile as in other countries in South America, though it’d probably take a degree of courage to go against the increasing tendency to hold back on significant critiques.

The chronology below gives a bit of detail about what subversive events are taking place in Colombia, but doesn’t talk much  of the obvious brutality of the cops nor of the obvious misery state policies are inflicting, facts which should already be well-known to anybody interested. But it seems  like the only way I can express a minimal solidarity with the movement there other than trying to contribute to social contestation in the part of the world I live in.

My Spanish is pretty poor, so these are Deepl Translations. They are largely taken from mainstream articles and so often reflect the smug idiocies of ruling moralism and ideologies, with their standard hypocrisies, but the facts are interesting.

PS

Added 28/6/21:

Of what I’ve seen (admittedly, limited) the most interesting exception to my comment in the first paragraph – “Whilst English-language anarchist and other anti-statist sites show how brutal capitalism in Colombia is, and show their solidarity with the uprising there, as far as I can see they give little information or critique – if any – about the ideas and ideologies of the participants in this uprising…”  is this Deepl translation of this interview with Grupo Libertario Vía Libre, from Bogotá that I’ve added to this site:

colombia: some critical reflections.

28/1/22:

Clashes over social misery in 3 cities

8/1/22:

Cali: 11 cops injured in explosives attack on truck – only cops injured

28/12/21:

Heavy clashes in Bogota and Medellin

28/10/21:

Bogota: further riots and blockades  6 months after start of movement

Sample quotes:

“…several demonstrations were held again in some sectors of Bogotá. However, in the midst of the demonstrations, there have been heavy clashes between members of the security forces and hooded demonstrators, with the locality of Usme being the most affected…Although it did not provide further details, TransMilenio reported that vandalism was reported in the same locality against a feeder bus, which was retained by a group of protesters, who slashed its tyres and broke its windows…”The police report that the grenades being used by ESMAD against the hooded demonstrators in the Suba sector are being thrown by the latter against neighbouring houses. …Another sector where heavy clashes have been reported between the security forces and citizens is the Americas Portal, where all TransMilenio feeder services continue to be suspended.”

“Throughout October 28, sit-ins and demonstrations were reported at several key points in Bogotá as a way of commemorating the national strike. Citizens took to the streets in Usme, downtown, Teusaquillo and Chapinero. ..We recorded demonstrations in Suba, at the National University, on the 30th, in the Plaza de Bolívar and Usme,” reported Luis Ernesto Gómez, Bogotá’s Secretary of Government. The authorities assured that the day, in general, passed in order. The only observation made was in relation to mobility, as there were peaceful blockades that forced drivers to take detours. In the sector of Las Aguas, for example, there were demonstrations at the height of Carrera 3 with Calle 19. The marchers were occupying the north-south direction, so that lane was blocked…disturbances did occur in Usme in the evening. The demonstrations took place in the area of Chicala (Carrera 76 con calle 35 sur), on the so-called ‘Puente de la Dignidad’ (Bridge of Dignity). Initially, a group of people blocked the road, with an approximate capacity of 200 people. They started at Class Rom and joined the Chicalá mobilisation with the intention of heading to the Kennedy mayor’s office. Everything was going smoothly. The authorities reported road blockades at Avenida Caracas and Calle 76B South. The blockade was on Avenida Caracas in both directions. In addition, there were also blockages on Avenida Primero de Mayo and Villavicencio. Then, at around 5:00 p.m., altercations began between citizens and uniformed officers. “Unfortunately, in Usme, an estimated 50 people began to attack some uniformed members of the security forces at around 5:00 p.m. This provoked a police intervention in the area. This provoked a police intervention in which one person was detained. Also, unfortunately, one person was injured and is already being accompanied by the district’s health services,” said Gómez.”

6/10/21:

Soacha: riot cops clash with community resisting destruction of their houses

“Heavy disturbances in Soacha by eviction executed by the Mayor’s Office. The authorities arrived at six in the morning to recover a property in the San Luis sector, in the upper part of the municipality of Soacha (Cundinamarca). About a hundred families built their homes on the property located in the rural area, apparently without a building permit. “Three years ago we were living here and it seems very unfair to us because we had our papers up to date, and they are going to take us out onto the street as if we were dogs. There are displaced children, there are elderly people. Where are they going to put us? This is not fair, it’s not fair that they do this to people. They are tearing down their houses,” said Geralidne, a young woman affected. “There are legal deeds, we have everything up to date; the only thing is that the mayor doesn’t want to give us a licence to build. I don’t know why there is so much injustice in this country, why are they destroying houses like this? There are people in debt in the bank to be able to build their houses; it’s very unfair,” added Geraldine. The community insists on resisting these demolitions. For its part, the Mayor’s Office of Soacha assures that the process is being carried out in compliance with a court decision, which orders the recovery of environmentally protected land that would prevent construction. Throughout the morning there have been heavy clashes between the occupants of the property and the Mobile Anti-riot Squadron – Esmad, there are several injured, most of them older adults.”

22/9/21:

Cauca: clashes continue

18/9/21:

Cauca: clashes over land dispute

“The confrontations on the lands of the multinational Smurfit Kappa Cartón de Colombia in the rural area of the municipality of Cajibío, Cauca, continue unabated, and in the last few hours, four young Misak indigenous people were reported injured and one captured. The disturbances occurred between peasant and indigenous communities who have been claiming these lands as their ancestral lands, and the Mobile Anti-riot Squadron, Esmad, of the Police, uniformed members of the Army and workers of the company…It should be remembered that the authorities reported that the intervention of the security forces was in response to requests from the multinational to guarantee the right to private property…Tension in the area remains high and the clashes have been going on for more than a month.”

(see entry for 4/8/21 below)

16/9/21:

Heavy clashes in Medellin

“A hooded man fired at the Esmad in Medellín…The National Police denounced Friday that Esmad agents were attacked with firearms during the disturbances that took place Thursday night near the Botanical Garden in the northern part of the city. In the afternoon, a peaceful demonstration took place ended in the Parque de los Deseos sector…However, according to the authorities, at night “the demonstrators of the so-called ‘front line’ started violent and criminal actions against the infrastructure of the railway house (cultural heritage) and the Botanical Garden”. In this sector, according to the police, elements such as Molotov cocktails and explosive potatoes were thrown. After exhausting mediation by the Personería and human rights officials, the intervention of the Esmad was necessary and at that moment several gunshots were heard…”Immediately the search and verification of videos in the security cameras of the city was activated, observing a person who allegedly fired at the Esmad units impacting one of the ballistic shields,” added the institution…The director of the police, General Jorge Luis Vargas, indicated that a reward of up to 50 million pesos [roughly 11,000 euros – almost 3 times the average annual wage] is being offered for information leading to the whereabouts of the shooter.”

8/9/21:

Bogota: clashes on anniversary of state murder of lawyer

26/8/21:

Riots in Bogota & Popayan

“…the official assured that there had been acts of vandalism and even aggression against public officials. That is why, in this case, the authorities intervened. It is worth mentioning that this happened just a few hours before the mobilisations that are expected to take place on Thursday. The National Strike Committee has called for new demonstrations against various government policies. One of these would be the opposition to the Tax Reform that is being processed in Congress. Meanwhile, today’s demonstrations are planned in the city of Bogota from the National Park to the Plaza de Bolivar. In the Betania neighbourhood and in Usme, in the south of the city, several demonstrations are also expected to take place on Thursday. The National Strike Committee has called for these mobilisations to take place in a peaceful manner. They also expect those attending the marches to use their respective biosecurity measures.”

Popayan: “…members of the front line attacked the police; the “front line” is what is known in Colombia as the young people at the front of the demonstrations who, with hoods, tin shields, helmets, gloves, stones and rubber bands, confront the public forces. The riots occurred one day after the funeral of the student leader of the University of Cauca, Esteban Mosquera, who was killed by hired assassins on 23 August. Mosquera, a music student and participant in the last National Strike (demonstrations against the government), had lost an eye in 2018 to a device thrown by members of the Mobile Anti-Riot Squad”

17/8/21:

Bogota: clashes as locals resist cops evicting them from land deemed liable to landslides (videos)

13/8/21:

Bogota: hours of riots as Mayoress is forced to leave regeneration project under police protection

9/8/21:

Clashes in Bogota during eviction of camp

“An SITP bus was set on fire and clashes ended the eviction that took place on the morning of Monday 9 August in the Tibabuyes wetland, where a group of demonstrators had set up an encampment nine months ago as a form of protest against the works being carried out by the Begotá Aqueduct in the area. According to the Suba Human Rights Committee, the security forces used gas to evict the 20 or so people who were in Tibabuyes, despite the fact that the use of chemical weapons is prohibited in the wetlands. In addition, protesters vandalised one of the new electric buses, which began operating in Bogotá last week, in the midst of the clashes….despite the fact that the bus was carrying passengers, neither the driver nor the passengers were injured. ..Tibabuyes is the largest wetland in Bogotá, home to one of the largest populations of the Tingua Bogotana and is the only one that registers marsh moss. To prevent construction in this space, since Friday 20 November 2020, different social and environmental organisations from Suba and Engativá, together with the Muisca Indigenous Cabildo of Suba, organised themselves within the wetland to prevent the continuation of the works….After the announcement of the eviction from the site, some protesters blocked the entrance to the wetland while others went out on Ciudad de Cali Avenue, and it was here that the confrontations began…”

7/8/21:

Clashes in Bogota and Bucaramanga

“The disturbances occurred in Usme, Portal Americas and Portal Suba, a police source in the Colombian capital …. That is, the same places that have been the epicentre of protests since the last National Strike, which lasted from 28 April to 15 June….The acts of vandalism included damage to traffic lights, and the use of “incendiary handmade elements”, against uniformed personnel, medical mission and press, Brigadier Eliécer Camacho Jiménez, commander of the Bogotá police, said on his Twitter account.”

“The mobilisation of students and young people ended in riots in Bucaramanga, where hooded men set fire to a Servientrega office in the vicinity of the Bolivar horse, there are also reports of 20 injured and 40 captured.”

4/8/21:

Cauca: Town Hall burnt down, police station attacked after man killed during eviction

More here

“…vandals set fire to facilities of the Mayor’s Office and the Police of Cajibío, Cauca. The community protested against the death of a young peasant injured in an eviction, allegedly at the hands of a police officer. …Clashes between protesters and the security forces broke out again on Wednesday night in Cajibío, Cauca, after a day of protests that turned violent…the attack on the station had been carried out with explosive potatoes and Molotov cocktails, ..The communities in the area were protesting at the end of July to recover the land on which a multinational cardboard company is located. When the police arrived in the area to evict the demonstrators, Camayo Fajardo was shot and knocked unconscious, and had to be taken by other peasants to the municipal hospital and from there to the hospital in Popayán, the capital of the department. However, he died just one day later…”

28/7/21:

Clashes in Bogota, Bucaramanga & Medellin as strikes continue

“Three months into the National Strike, protests once again took place in the country’s capital. Although much less intense than in previous days, these demonstrations resulted in blockades, riots and acts of vandalism that left at least six police officers injured and thirteen people arrested… violent incidents were recorded in four areas of the city. The clashes began in the afternoon in the Usme sector, in the south of the capital. According to the authorities, a group of hooded men attacked several police officers and threw stones at them. As a result of this situation, six police officers were injured ..Several stations closed due to demonstrations. In the evening there were disturbances and clashes involving around 200 people in the vicinity of Portal Américas and another similar group in the vicinity of Portal de Suba. The police said that the intervention of Esmad and the available force was necessary because some people threw stones and Molotov cocktails at the Transmilenio facilities and the uniformed officers guarding them. At Carrera 10 with calle 27 sur there was a blockade that led to riots…”

21/7/21:

Barranquilla: looting etc. as demonstration turns into riot

“The day of protests this Wednesday in Barranquilla left damage and injured people, in the two demonstrations that took place in the capital of Atlántico. The first march, which in the morning hours went peacefully along Murillo Street in Barranquilla, to the Plaza de la Paz, ended in clashes between hooded youths and members of the Esmad Corps of the Metropolitan Police. ..Later, at 4:00 in the afternoon, another demonstration began in Calle 98 and 52, in front of the Buenavista shopping centre, in the north of the city, as a rallying point. Hundreds of young people, many of them students from universities in Barranquilla, joined in chanting slogans in defence of education and against the national government….The march, which began in relative calm, turned violent as the minutes passed, due to attacks by a group of people from another demonstration, who vandalised some shops. The Olímpica superstores on Calle 84 and 51B and Carrera 46 and Calle 82 were attacked and looted; the CAI in Suri Salcedo Park, as well as some banking establishments and various other premises, were also attacked by the miscreants. Along the route, the demonstrators stopped at times at health care centres to applaud and thank the health workers, and then resumed their march. For the time being, the authorities have not yet provided an estimate of the damage, damage to property or reports of people arrested.”

20/7/21:

Clashes in 7 cities

Above: Bucaramanga

One can see certain problems arising in this excellently persistent and stubbornly tenacious movement: unions (for instance, in Medellin) were diverting anger into merely symbolic cultural events designed to “educate” those who were educating themselves and really needed none of the condescension of such hierarchically inspired “education”:  “These clashes contrast with the cultural performances that have been taking place since the morning hours, in which groups of artists and musicians staged a day of symbolic demonstrations aimed at raising historical grievances and slogans against the national government. The unions and central organisations of the capital of Antioquia called for a cultural takeover with a variety of music and a rally in the eastern sector of Parques del Río, between the Intelligent Building of the Medellín Public Utilities and the Metropolitan Theatre, which began at 10:00 a.m.” For a couple of critiques of culture on this site, see this and this.

Barranquilla:

Day of demonstration in the south of Barranquilla ended in riots

“…a group of youths remained in the sector and several of them threw blunt objects and firebombs at the old facilities of the Antonio Nariño Police School.In the face of the aggression, members of the Institution’s Esmad Command responded to the action of the protesters, some of whom attempted to forcibly enter the police academy…Two demonstrations were held in Barranquilla in the afternoon, as part of the day of protests to mark the celebration of July 20.A first mobilisation, organised by members of the group called Coordinadora Popular, travelled along Avenida Murillo, from Carrera 8 to the roundabout on Calle 17, which was closed by the authorities as a precaution.The second took the form of a sit-in, which culminated in a confrontation between the authorities and youths on 17th Street…In the morning, with the accompaniment of the police, a peaceful sit-in was held by the central labour and trade union associations such as the CUT, CGT, Anthoc, Adea and Adeba, among others, which began with a floral offering at the monument to the Liberator, on the Paseo Bolivar.The activity was carried out in complete normality.”

Cali & Bogota

“Riots reported in Bogota and Cali on Tuesday afternoon.. the community of the Tequendama neighbourhood denounced the intention of several individuals to force their way into the Éxito [supermarket] in this area in the south of Cali. In response to the alert, the police went to the site to prevent acts of vandalism and to guarantee public order…In the sector of Usme, precisely on the bridge of Dignity, in Yomasa, there are disturbances between the Esmad and the people. Citizens report the use of stun guns and tear gas to disperse citizens. The Personería de Bogotá reported intermittent blockades in this area. There are also clashes at the Portal de las Américas…At least six Transmilenio buses were attacked during the day. Four trunk buses, two SITP buses and several Transmilenio stations were affected…”

10/7/21:

Bogota: University of Kennedy occupied by youths

Medellin: over 50 motor bikes belonging to  the Mobility Secretariat torched

9/7/21:

Several hours of clashes with riot cops in Bogota

7/7/21:

Colombia: Floridablanca Mayor’s Office smashed up as clashes continue  in 4 cities

On the disappeared

2/7/21:

Medellin: police station torched in response to cop rape of 15-year-old girl

30/6/21:

Clashes in Popayan…and Bucaramanga

28/6/21:

Incendiary attacks on police station in Cundinamarca

“…a police station was destroyed by rioters overnight.The building, located in the city of Madrid in the central Cundinamarca region, was attacked by a mob of around 30 people on Monday night.The officers retreated after what the media described as a siege, which lasted for more than five hours. The rioters erected barricades and set patrol motorcycles on fire before torching the police outpost, the Infobae news website reported. …several vehicles destroyed. The officials said ambulances had been vandalized and the life of health workers threatened…Rioting and clashes with police occurred on Monday in other cities, including the country’s capital, Bogota, where eight buses were set alight and six people detained. In Facatativa, a court building was set on fire for the second time since May…In Barranquilla, a group of protesters toppled a nearly 130-year-old statue of Christopher Columbus.”

Palace of “Justice” torched in Facatitiva

“The Palace of Justice in Facatativá was once again set on fire. The building had been set ablaze in May during the riots resulting from the National Strike. .. in addition to the fire at the Palace of Justice, there were road blockades from 3:30 p.m. in sectors such as Cartagenita, Villa Alba, Carrera 5, Calle 15, vereda Mancilla and near the headquarters of the University of Cundinamarca. The damage to Carrera 5, which is an important road connecting the municipality with the department, was caused by damage to infrastructure (broken cables), and heavy transport was diverted to alternative routes…Funza: clashes between vandals and police at the Colanta Bridge, calle 9 with carrera 9, due to blocking of the former to this artery that connects the Sabana with the capital of the Republic. Soacha: intermittent blockades on the road leading from this municipality to the capital of the Republic in the vicinity of the Terminal del Sur. Madrid: fire at the El Sosiego police station and blockades on the roads that connect the municipality with the capital of the Republic. ..Bosa-Porvenir: This locality of Bogotá had clashes between protesters and police during the afternoon and evening of 28 June. “

Student finance company building attacked in Ibagué

“Hooded men vandalised and attempted to set fire to Icetex …The branch of a supermarket chain was also vandalised…A group of hooded men …attacked and tried to set fire to the Icetex headquarters located in the centre of the city, just one street away from the Mayor’s Office of the capital of Tolima. Óscar Berbeo, municipal government secretary, indicated that several youths arrived at the site and attacked the windows of the financial institution with stones and other blunt objects. They then set fire to part of the first floor of the building.”

Clashes in El Pasto, Bogota, Usme, Medellin, Popayan, Pereira & Cali

Sample quotes:

“Three police facilities in Bogota, Medellin (northwest) and Pereira (west) were attacked during the day, while a statue of Christopher Columbus was toppled by protesters in the northern city of Barranquilla…The anti-riot squad intervened “on 20 occasions in several cities,” police director general Jorge Vargas said in an audio message sent to the media…A dozen public transport vehicles were also “vandalised”, according to Vargas…Meanwhile in Medellín, demonstrators from the so-called “front line” were harshly repressed by tanks and riot squad officers…Although the most visible front of the mobilisations suspended protests until 20 July, other non-conformist sectors are maintaining their marches, rallies and blockades, which the government claims have pushed the pandemic to record levels of deaths and contagions.”

“Buses were burned in the capital of Nariño. In Cauca, serious confrontations.”

“…uniformed officers were attacked with stones and blunt instruments. “Two employees of the municipal ombudsman’s office were attacked and threatened by people who are part of the social protest”, said William Yeffer Vivas, ombudsman of Medellín.”

24/6/21:

Clashes in Suba, Barranquilla & Neiva

Sample quote:

“Vandalism has occurred in recent days in cities such as Bogotá, Cali, Medellín, Neiva and Pasto among other regions. It was reported that a group of hooded men attacked the Transmilenio Portal in Suba and used ‘Molotov cocktails’ with which they endangered the lives of other citizens and members of the police. It was also reported that several Transmilenio stations, the SuperCade de las Américas, two traffic lights, eight articulated buses and two Sitp buses were attacked. The director of the police, General Jorge Luis Vargas, also said that “in Neiva, the Filadelfia Church was attacked by throwing incendiary devices. In Manizales, the Caí de Chipre and Villahermosa were attacked and two motorbikes belonging to the institution were also attacked”. In the city of Pasto, the facilities of the National Registrar’s Office and the Dian were vandalised, as well as a cleaning vehicle belonging to the municipality. Similarly, in Bucaramanga, damage was reported to a courier company, an ATM and a private motorbike that was set on fire. …In the municipality of Bello, three tractor-trailers were attacked with stones and sticks in the midst of the disturbances.”

23/6/21:

Clashes in Suba, Bogota & Popayan…and Bucaramanga

21/6/21:

Clashes in Bogota (2 separate areas), Manizales, Cartagena and Cali

“The Colombian government announced Friday that it had modified a presidential decree to limit the definition of peaceful protest and specify that road blockades, whether temporary or permanent, do not constitute a form of demonstration and therefore allow the “legitimate use of force”.”

“the departmental strike committee…is currently under a national directive to suspend all types of mass activity.”

14/6/21:

Tolima: clashes in 2 parts of state

Sample quote:

“ While the national government and the Unemployment Committee did not advance and for now no new approaches are foreseen in Bogotá, the dialogue was decentralized and now the tables of talks will be in the regions, while the strike continues in Cali and the metropolitan area, but they are advancing the conversations with mayors … the government of Iván Duque …have announced that through 200 dialogue tables in the country they want to listen to the protesters in the regions. …As announced by the Union of Resistance Comuna 20, in Siloé the Glorieta was unblocked this Sunday after a peaceful day with the community. The resistance in Siloé decided to unblock it to enter a ‘permanent assembly’ There was food, games for children, and a candle and closing of the protest with a blockade. The young people and members of the First Line are waiting there for the agreement to be fulfilled to continue in the dialogue. They have warned that the strike in Cali continues….This Sunday they officially unlocked the point of the Silo roundabout. …The Siloam roundabout is now clear. “We want the right thing to be done now,” protesters told the government. The strike ended under this mechanism of limiting mobility and other activities at this point in the hillside area… …the unblocking of La Nave will be done. Yumbo, unblocks with dialogue From 4 am the police and Esmad arrived at Ecopetrol’s resistance point in Yumbo, the Cali metropolitan area, to remove debris, barricade and clean up. The clearance has been completed without confrontations, there are no reports of arrests. “

This looks – from the exterior – like a typical divide and rule tactic – negotiate at a regional level so that each region will be treated differently and the sense of a national movement is lost.

13/6/21:

Cali: longish report on the situation there over the previous 6 weeks, including videos

9/6/21:

Clashes in 9 cities

Sample quotes:

“…in the Americas Portal, a group of protesters attacked police officers with stones, sticks and other blunt objects. The Esmad had to intervene.”

“Once again, the riots overshadowed the day of protests that was called this Wednesday in Bogotá, within the framework of the National Strike. In different parts of the city, members of the Police and protesters clashed, forcing dozens of people to walk home. Fontibón, for example, was one of the most affected towns of the day. There, at the beginning of the night, clashes were recorded between protesters with police officers, who were attacked with stones and sticks.”

“Vandals set fire to two SITP buses during riots in Bogotá“

8/6/21:

Riots in 2 cities during Colombia v. Argentina football match

4/6/21:

Reports and videos on clashes in 3 cities

Sample quote:

“Carrera 1 between Calles 62 and 73 and its surroundings, in the area of Paso del Comercio, has been the epicentre of clashes between civilians and the security forces since Friday afternoon. The clashes took place after a large police operation in the early hours of this morning to unblock this sector, which had been blocked since April 28th. After the unblocking, several demonstrators insist on keeping the roads affected and confront the Esmad, who are trying to have this corridor that connects Cali with Palmira enabled. …A standard bus of the MÍO system was taken by hooded persons, vandalised and later set on fire on a road in the east of Cali….they forced the passengers and the driver to abandon the vehicle, and then vandalised and burned it…A truck that was attached to the Metropolitan Police of Cali was retained by people who vandalized it near the bridge of the Thousand Days, east of Cali. Videos were disseminated through social networks showing a group of young people holding the vehicle, driving it along the roads and then setting it on fire.”

2/6/21:

Further clashes

“… National strike on 2 June: isolated clashes in different cities. The Strike Committee called for “huge mobilisations” in the face of disagreement with the Executiv.. there were several points of concentration and mobilisations of hundreds of people in different cities such as Bogotá, Cali, Medellín, Barranquilla and others….This is how the day progressed: 11:00 p.m. The Bogotá Government Secretariat reported that on Avenida Ciudad de Cali and Calle 139, a group of demonstrators attacked police officers, requiring the intervention of the Esmad….Motorcyclists join the concentration of citizens who at this hour remain in the sector of Los Héroes, in Bogotá… people outside the demonstration set fire to a booth located at the vehicular entrance of the Americas Portal. 9:30 p.m. In Bogotá, citizens report clashes in Suba, northwest of the capital. 9:20 p.m. At this hour, citizens report clashes between demonstrators and members of the security forces in Bucaramanga, events that seem to have left several people injured…7:50 p.m. Citizens report violent intervention by ESMAD in the La Esmeralda neighbourhood in Popayán. 7:35 p.m. The Secretary of Government of Bogota reports the presence of more than 600 young people in the Portal Americas, who are demonstrating around singing and music. 7:00 p.m. Transmilenio reports that Portal 80 and the stations Carrera 90, Avenida Cali, Granja Carrera 77, Minuto de Dios and Avenida Boyacá are closed, which is why they are returning to Ferias. The company also reports that the Quirigua station is closed due to vandalism…6:30 p.m. Citizens report that the ESMAD launched tear gas at one of the Medellin Metro stations, which is why passengers had to break one of the windows of the carriage to be able to breathe. 6:10 p.m. It is reported that a pick-up truck ran over a protester …5:50 p.m. In Medellín, at this time disturbances are reported on Barranquilla Avenue and around the Botanical Garden…. Transversal 91 is closed due to vandalism….Troncal Caracas Sur: Portal Usme, Molinos and Consuelo stations are closed. (Socorro station is closed due to vandalism) and route 6-3 Sierra Morena de Portal Tunal is cancelled. Troncal Carrera Décima: Portal 20 de Julio and Ciudad Jardín are closed (Country Sur, Av. 1 de Mayo, Policarpa and San Bernardo are closed due to vandalism)….Américas Trunk Line: The Américas Portal is closed, and the service is cancelled. (The Jiménez station operates along Calle 13. The other stations on the trunk line are closed due to vandalism)….Caracas South Trunk Line: Portal Usme, Molinos and Consuelo stations are closed. (Socorro station is closed due to vandalism). Carrera Décima trunk line: Portal 20 de Julio and Ciudad Jardín are closed (Country Sur, Av. 1 de Mayo, Policarpa and San Bernardo are closed due to vandalism)….Troncal Américas: Portal Américas is closed, and the bus service is cancelled. (The Jiménez station is operating on Calle 13. The other stations on the trunk line are closed due to vandalism).  Troncal Caracas: Flores station is closed (Calle 76 and Calle 72 are closed due to vandalism).  Troncal Caracas Sur: Portal Usme, Molinos and Consuelo stations are closed. (Socorro station is closed due to vandalism).  Troncal Carrera Décima: Portal 20 de Julio and Ciudad Jardín are closed (Country Sur, Av. 1 de Mayo, Policarpa and San Bernardo are closed due to vandalism)….11: 53 a.m. Demonstrations and sit-ins are taking place at six points in Bogotá: AV SUBA with 91; Parque Nacional, where there is an approximate capacity of 1400 people…6:50 a.m. At Portal del Norte, Bogotá, there are delays in Transmilenio’s feeder service due to demonstrations. The transport system has 51 stations vandalised and will not be operating.”

Bucaramanga:

“The situation became tense when a group of hooded men tried to attack the headquarters of the SENA [National Learning Service] on Carrera 27 and the Bucaramanga Mobile Anti-riot Squadron intervened…This same group of hooded men threw incendiary objects at the UIS Park Station, and so the authorities tried to dissipate the situation but were attacked when they threw elements used for pyrotechnics and Molotov type bombs at them…”until 8pm everything was going normally, when a pitched battle broke out, hooded people started throwing Molotov cocktails or flying bombs and the Esmad responded with tear gas. I live with a 5 year old girl and I had to lock her in, an elderly lady fainted, we had to put rags under the door to keep the smoke out.”

31/5/21:

A month of clashes

Putumayo: young man killed by state forces during protest against petrol company’s ecologically destructive development

“Jhon Danny Rosero Estrella, a 22-year-old university student, died on Monday afternoon after being shot in the midst of heavy clashes between the security forces and demonstrators protesting against oil exploitation by the multinational Gran Tierra Energy in the municipality of Villagarzón, Putumayo. The situation began, according to Carlos López Descanse, of the Association of Indigenous Councils of the department, when a ‘regional strike committee’ was refused entry to the company’s installations in the village of Costayaco, to verify compliance with previously agreed agreements, such as the suspension of operations for causing environmental damage, as alerted by the indigenous people. ..”There were about 20 people on the road, but a group of anti-narcotics police, under the responsibility of Lieutenant Colonel Juan Carlos Hernández, attacked the peaceful demonstration. They started using their weapons and shooting at the people. At this point, a young man from the march was killed”, said López, who insisted that the protest was repressed and attacked with gunfire, allegedly by the National Police. From the clashes, according to the indigenous community, 23 demonstrators were injured, three of them with gunshot wounds. In the days prior to these clashes, they have also denounced intimidation by the security forces, including helicopters flying overhead and dropping leaflets with “criminal warnings” for their blockades…Colonel Francisco Gelvez Aleman, commander of the Putumayo police, told Caracol Radio that the demonstrators forced their way into the company where army soldiers and police personnel were injured, forcing an intervention. “There were blockades, de facto roadblocks and the throwing of elements. In the afternoon, the lifeless body of a young man from Costayaco arrived at the municipal hospital. ..The officer denied that the shots had come from the police.. the command of the army’s 27th Brigade assured that the troops “were attacked by a mob of indigenous people and other demonstrators, who tried to forcefully and violently enter the installations” of the multinational Gran Tierra Energy. The institution claims that 1,200 people attacked with stones, sticks and firebombs to intimidate the employees and wounded five soldiers and one officer…The company is assessing the damage and to avoid an accident that could put the population at risk, they have closed their valves…Colonel Gelvez assured that the intermittent closures on the road that connects Cauca with Putumayo will continue. “

30/5/21:

“… Heavy riots occurred in the sector of Cartagenita… Different videos shared on Twitter showed the use of force by the Esmad. Users shared how tanks, gas and agents with weapons took over some neighbourhoods in this sector without any kind of authorisation…it can be seen how the Esmad tanks throw the stun bombs that clear the demonstrators.. “…They violated all the human rights they had not yet violated. They attack with non-conventional weapons in a residential area (children, elderly, pregnant women), they enter without the authorisation of the mayor …They didn’t even respect the children in the neighbourhoods…”….a new case of looting of a beer truck that had to be parked in the middle of the blockades of demonstrators in Facatativá. In the video, shared among others by the governor of Cundinamarca, Nicolás García Bustos, it can be seen how different people begin to remove the crates from a truck that distributes beer. They calmly arrive one by one to take the baskets and distribute them to other people. Some even leave them in the middle of the street and then come back for others. According to Noticias Caracol, the looting took place after the demonstrators argued with the driver because of the blockade and then decided to tear the tent covering the car to remove the beer baskets…” See also this

Bucamaranga: “The Defence for Freedom Campaign reports that seven people were injured and around 70 people required medical assistance following the disturbances outside the Romelio Martínez stadium between demonstrators and the police, in the context of a new ‘anti-game’ protest against the Copa Libertadores. Nearly 200 units of the Esmad police arrived on board two riot police cars and with jets of water and tear gas repelled the attempt of a group of demonstrators to approach the stadium, in a struggle that lasted from six in the afternoon until the end of the match. A total of two thousand uniformed officers were required in the area, and four people were arrested at the end of the day for stealing computers and televisions from the affected premises…Although the protest initially took place peacefully, with a game of football in the middle of the street, tempers flared when the large number of police arrived. The situation meant that for the second night in a row, the match went ahead amidst tear gas detonations, which the wind blew a large quantity of tear gas over the stadium while the match was in progress, for which reason it had to be suspended four times. Meanwhile, a pitched battle was taking place in the streets at the hands of young people who wanted to show the world their dissatisfaction with the social situation in the country. …the most serious aspect of the day was the alleged aggression by the police against members of the medical mission and human rights defenders….. video footage showed members of the riot squad firing tear gas directly at them, despite the fact that they identified themselves as people outside the protest. “One of the medical mission was hit by a police motorbike that ran over his legs and another was hit in the ribs. The people were immediately taken away by ambulance”

“Since Friday afternoon, heavy  disturbances have been registered in the south of Popayán between demonstrators and uniformed members of the National Police. …Hooded men attempted to set fire to the headquarters of the Immediate Reaction Unit, URI, of the Attorney General’s Office, located in the south of the capital of Cauca. They also attempted to vandalise a police school….In Santander, a group of demonstrators also attacked the URI headquarters of the Attorney General’s Office. Dozens of people in these places are demanding clarification of the arrest of Alison Meléndez, the young woman who denounced sexual abuse by uniformed members of the Esmad and hours later took her own life. ….in Popayán, demonstrators knocked down the monument to Francisco de Paula Santander at the INEM roundabout. They also knocked down the monument ‘Edificadores de paz’ which paid homage to the policemen at the entrance to the Cauca command…On Friday night disturbances were reported in the sector of Cabecera and Nuevo Sotomayor in Bucaramanga. There, hooded men set fire to several banks and vandalised the CAI of the sector. In addition, vandals attacked a Metrolínea bus on Avenida González Valencia and Calle 55. Witnesses claim that the protesters forced the passengers to get off the bus and attacked it with stones. They threw fuel on the bus, but did not set it on fire. …Despite the shortage of food, fuel and medicines in some cities and municipalities in the country, blockades persist on some Colombian roads this Friday. In the case of Cundinamarca, three protest activities were reported. In Facatativá in the Romboy Cartagenita sector, in Villa Alba and in Medina in the Cruce Medina – Paratebueno sector… in Facatativá looting is being recorded against vehicles detained by protesters blocking the road….Cali: disruptions on the roads in the capital of Valle del Cauca persist this Friday. In the north of the city there were blockades in Loma de la Cruz and Hotel La Luna, in the south there were blockades on Calle 5 with Carrera 94 and Calle 13 with Carrera 100 and demonstrations on the Via Cali – Jamundí; and in the west, blockades occurred in the area of El Ancla and La Portada al mar. … the authorities are investigating the events in which two policemen were attacked with firearms in the municipality of Buga, in the centre of Valle del Cauca. According to the investigations, the wounded are two members of the Mobile Anti-riot Squadron, who were shot and due to the seriousness of their wounds were taken to the San Francisco clinic in the municipality of Tuluá, where they are recovering from their injuries. “In the sector of Conjunto Residencial Uninorte, more than 1,500 people went out to attack the public forces, in the midst of this, two officers were wounded by firearms and in the armoured tankette that they were driving…”

6/5/21:

Colombia: further clashes in 4 cities…English language report here…Cali: cops in plain clothes fire live rounds at protesters from van, then run away when fired on by soldier… Santander: clashes in 7 different towns as protesters block roads, including looting in Barrancabermeja

5/5/21:

Colombia: clashes continue in 9 different cities and towns

Sample quotes:

“…riots and clashes in the centre of Bogota. A group of people tore down the fences separating the Plaza de Bolivar from the Capitol and then attacked the building with stones and other objects, and tried to enter while Congress was in session, something that was prevented by the Esmad, who dispersed the attack with tear gas…A motorbike goes up in flames..A protester attacks a bank during a new day of demonstrations in Bogota…Thousands of people returned to the streets of Colombia on Wednesday to take part in the second “national strike” in protest against the government of Ivan Duque, who today began talks with different political, economic and social sectors, but without inviting leaders of the protesters or the opposition… at least 19 dead and 800 injured by repression in five days of protests against tax reform. ..Bogota mayor calls for army deployment in the face of tonight’s violent protests. The demonstrations began on 28 April against the Colombian government’s already withdrawn tax reform and continue today, among other things, in rejection of police brutality,which according to the NGO Temblores has claimed the lives of 37 people in the last eight days…On the eve of the “national strike” called by trade unions and workers’ centres against the health reform, at least 72 civilians and 19 police officers were injured in a riot in Bogotá in which vandals attacked 23 police stations, one of which was set on fire with 10 officers inside who managed to get to safety…Duque brings tanks and military onto Colombia’s streets, stoking unrest at protests |…A group of people tore down the fences separating the Plaza de Bolivar from the Capitol and then attacked the building with stones and other objects, and tried to enter while Congress was in session, something that was prevented by the Esmad, who dispersed the onslaught with tear gas.”.

“During the day of protests that continued in the city of Barranquilla in the afternoon, there were disturbances of public order where vandals looted commercial premises and led clashes with the Esmad.”

“During this eighth day of protests several clashes between authorities and demonstrators are recorded in different parts of the country’s capital…. Duque announces $10 million reward for vandals and rejects violence in national strike…One of the most critical points is the Plaza de Bolivar. There, a group of protesters clashed with Esmad troops.The NotiCentro 1 CM& news team recorded how a police motorbike was left on Carrera 9 and Calle 12, near Plaza de Bolívar, after it was burnt. Similarly, in the centre of Bogotá in the afternoon the situation was complicated when demonstrators and authorities clashed on the main road.”

4/5/21:

Colombia: clashes in 12 towns and cities as movement grows

“One of the most reprehensible events was the damage caused to the statue of Peter Manjarrez [a singer of corny popular folk music, still alive] located at the roundabout of the Transport Terminal, from where the protesters took Simon Bolivar Avenue and clashed with the Esmad. It was a reprehensible act, the right arm of the sculpture of the singer Peter Manjarrés was torn off. More than a hundred young people who were carrying out a protest arrived at the roundabout and destroyed part of the monument of the ‘Caballero del Vallenato’.”

Police station torched, Bogota

“A mob set fire to a police station in Bogotá on Tuesday, with 10 officers inside who managed to escape the flames..According to the authorities, the Police Immediate Attention Centre (CAI) in the La Aurora neighbourhood, in the south of the city, was set on fire when there were 10 officers inside, five of whom were injured. …The Secretary of Government of Bogotá, Luis Ernesto Gómez, assured that 16 CAI have been “vandalised” in Bogotá, including the one in La Aurora. “At this hour there is an escalation of violence in the city, here in Biblioteca Tintal they have just incinerated a SITP (Integrated Public Transport System) bus and in other parts of the city,” …The clashes between the uniformed police and the police in Bogotá began in the afternoon in various sectors in the south of the city and spread to other areas where social organisations have denounced the excesses of the Esmad during the night. One of the most difficult situations is being experienced in Portal Americas, in the west of the city, where clashes have lasted for hours, at least three people have been injured and a bus was burned, according to the authorities. There were also disturbances in the Castilla neighbourhood, where demonstrators were repressed by the Esmad and the CAI was also attacked. In other cities such as Cali (southwest), where an unknown number of people have died during the protests, clashes continued despite the fact that five people died …” – here

See also this anarchist report on the situation and its history.

“…The final straw that set off the protests we saw this April was the proposal of the so-called “Solidarity Financing Law,” a tax reform that will impoverish the majority of the population. Under the pretext of reducing the deficit that it had created with the last reform, Duque’s administration came up with the terrible idea of increasing the cost of living in one of the most unequal countries in the world. It’s shocking that in the midst of a crisis, the Colombian government would decide to raise food taxes for the lower and middle classes. It makes no sense to raise the price of food when the population is going hungry. It is even more outrageous that the proposed reforms will not only harm everyday people but further enrich the country’s wealthiest monopolies…laws are approved behind closed doors, without public debate. One of the most obvious examples of this is the legal reform that will make changes to the Colombian healthcare system. Introduced on March 16th, 2021, it has still not been passed by Congress, but its supporters in the legislature pulled secretive moves the night of April 26 to try to push it through while attention was fixed on the tax reform. This health reform could be worse than COVID-19 itself. Essentially, it is intended to implement the full privatization of the Colombian healthcare system. We will have to pay coverage fees for pathology, or the EPS (Colombia’s public health insurance) will deny us medical attention. People who require medical attention through the EPS will have to demonstrate that they are taking good care of themselves and did nothing to cause their illness or injury; if their insurance provider can prove otherwise, it will be able to deny them coverage, forcing them to pay out of pocket. This program is also intended to end public municipal vaccination programs—at the peak of the pandemic!—and to give insurance providers authority to decide how to offer these services and to whom. This reform would allow multinationals and transnational pharmaceutical companies to impose prices and market rules for healthcare in Colombia. It would end health insurance discounts for those in professions including education, manufacturing, and the armed forces. Hospitals will have to demonstrate results in a proposal gruesomely similar to the “results” that the Uribe government demanded of soldiers, which resulted in over 10,000 “false positives”—the practice of extrajudicial execution in which the government and military kidnapped and murdered young people, then falsely reported them as FARC-EP combatants in order to fill quotas. Similarly, it’s estimated that the current health law that privatized the health system in 1993 has led to one million deaths through lack of medical attention or negligence, inflicting even more casualties than the armed conflict…on May 1, attendance in the protests exceeded all expectations and many other cities joined in. By this point, demonstrations were taking place in more than 500 cities across the country. Our memory from other difficult struggles, passed down to us from other times by our parents and grandparents, reminds us that when the people unite, there is no power more transformative. Through their police abuse complaint platform “GRITA,” by 11 pm on May 1, the human rights organization Temblores had received reports of 940 complaints of police violence, 92 victims of physical police violence, 21 people murdered by the police, four victims of sexual abuse at the hands of police officers, and 12 people shot in the eye by police…”

3/5/21:

Colombia: clashes in 11 towns and cities as movement continues  following resignation of Minister of Finance and withdrawal of tax hikes on essential subsistence goods; unions call for general strike on May 5, demanding, among other reformisms, the introduction of basic income & free tuition

Sample quotes:

“The protesters, according to El Tiempo, claim that it is no longer just about the tax reform or the resignation of the Finance Minister. They say they want changes to the health reform and are seeking a fairer society, after people reported cases of abuse of authority.”

“Several unknown persons stoned three Transcaribe stations,… as well as the windows of banks and other entities were also vandalised…Transcaribe strongly rejected the attacks suffered during the demonstrations when unknown persons attacked the Centro, Chambacú and Lo Amador stations with stones and blunt objects, destroying their windows. The operation of the mass transport system had to be suspended. First because of the taxi drivers’ strike that caused chaos in a large part of the city, and then because of the protests that continue tonight.”

2/5/21:

Colombia: withdrawal of tax reform  that incited general strike and riots does not discourage continued clashes in 5 cities

Bucaramanga: bank torched

“Despite the fact that the government of President Duque withdrew the tax reform, protests against the national government continued this Sunday in Quindío. Security disturbances in the centre of Armenia due to infiltrators in the protest with the intention of attacking commerce … occurred this Sunday night. The timely reaction of the authorities, with tear gas, controlled the situation, after acts of vandalism in the midst of protests that completed their fifth day. The disturbances reached the mayor’s building itself, where the demonstrators threw stones and pebbles, causing some windows to break. The situation was brought under control and the demonstrators were dispersed. Some shops were affected by the demonstrators who damaged the windows of some supermarkets and chain stores with stones, including D1 in the centre of Armenia. In social networks some videos have been published in which a sector of the protesters, recognized neighborhood leaders, call for calm and peaceful protest. On Sunday morning, motorcyclists and other protesters gathered in the Plaza Bolivar in Armenia and made a tour of some municipalities, which caused road blockages in some sectors, especially in La Tebaida, Quimbaya, Montenegro, Circasia and Filandia along the Autopista del Café. In Armenia there was a caravan and some road closures…In Montenegro, the entrance to the town was blocked with barricades and burning tyres to prevent vehicular traffic moving from Armenia, …where the Armenia mayor’s office is located are guarded and under strict security measures by the authorities. For its part, Armenia’s government secretary Gloria Cecilia García reported that vandals infiltrated the student march and damaged lamps in the Plazoleta de la Quindianidad, or CAM, the police inspectorate and supermarkets in the sector. A patrolman was injured with a stone in the foot and a security guard from the Familias en Acción office was hit with a stick in the shoulder, fortunately nothing serious.”

1/5/21:

Colombia: mayor beaten, statue pulled down, roads and transport blocked, various bits of vandalism, clashes with riot cops in different parts of country

“Demonstrations continue this Saturday in several cities across the country as part of the fourth day of the national strike against the tax reform, as well as the commemoration of Labour Day. Despite the organisers’ assurances that this day’s demonstrations would take place virtually, in accordance with the restrictions imposed by the third peak of the pandemic, citizens took to the streets. This is how the demonstrations are going in Bogotá, Cali, Medellín and other cities in the country this May 1st: 8:30 p.m. The mayor’s office of Usaquén reports that in the midst of the protests in the sector, Jaime Vargas, mayor of Usaquén, and his team, were assaulted, insulted and beaten with stones. “We reject all types of violence and call for peaceful dialogue,” the organisation said. 8:15 p.m. Citizens report that in the midst of the disturbances near the Industrial University of Santander, the lights have been turned off and the city of Bucaramanga is militarised. 7:50 p.m. In the midst of the tense day of protests that is lived this Saturday still in several areas of the country, President Ivan Duque addressed the Colombians. He said he recognises those who are demonstrating peacefully, however, he issued a warning to those who have been vandalising and carrying out violent acts during the protests: “We are not going to allow de facto ways, the destruction of public and private property or the message of hate to have a place in our country. As a society and as a state, we have a responsibility to move the country forward together,” he said. … TransMilenio informs that … and in order to safeguard the safety of users and system employees, operations have been definitively cancelled for today. 7:25 p.m. In Santa Marta, a blockade continues on the Troncal del Caribe road, preventing the passage of vehicles to the department of La Guajira. Tyre burning and some vandalism are reported. 7:05 p.m. Transmilenio reports that today at 6:00 p.m., 42 buses between trunk and zone are affected, one of them burned and 3 stations were vandalized. Likewise, the entity points out that in the afternoon a fire was reported on a SITP zonal bus on Carrera 68 and Calle 3….7:00 p.m. At this hour in the capital of the country, there are disturbances in the street 145 with career Seventh. 6:25 p.m. Transmilenio reports that at this time there is no passage at any point, “the operation is cancelled on all the trunk lines of the system due to the lack of security guarantees for users,” says the entity….6:15 p.m. At this time there are clashes between demonstrators who obstructed the passage on Carrera 10 and Calle 13 and the Esmad [riot police]. 6:12 p.m. Heavy clashes are registered between the Esmad and the demonstrators in the centre of the city (Carrera 10 con calle 13) and in the north of the capital (Cedritos and Carrera 7 con calle 134). 6:10 p.m. The mayor’s office of Barranquilla reported that the episodes related to vandalism in the sector of the Circunvalar Avenue with the Cordialidad were controlled by police units, leaving as a result 13 people arrested during the demonstrations of this May 1 in the city. 6:00 p.m. Due to demonstrations at the time, the TransMilenio System is operating at 20% of its Troncal component. The entity informs that most stations are temporarily closed until the fleet is able to pass through and the safety of users and buses is guaranteed. The company also reports that the El Dorado and Portal Norte terminals have been cancelled. These are the routes that will not be able to operate due to blockades by demonstrators: Troncal Caracas, Troncal Suba, Troncal Calle 80, Troncal NQS Central, Troncal Américas, Troncal NQS South, Trunk Trunk Caracas Sur, Trunk Trunk Eje Ambiental, Troncal Carrera 10, Troncal Carrera 7….4:50 p.m. In Pasto, in the south of the country, a group of demonstrators demolish the statue of Antonio Nariño that was located in the main square. 4:40 p.m. In Bogotá there are confrontations between demonstrators and the security forces on Avenida de las Américas and Avenida Ciudad de Cali. 4:20 p.m. In the city of Bogotá, disturbances are reported on Carrera 7 and Calle 142. Demonstrators say that the Esmad prevented the march from passing, which was proceeding peacefully. 4:15 p.m. Clashes begin to be reported between the Esmad and the demonstrators in the Plaza de Bolivar in the centre of Bogota. 4:00 p.m. Citizens report through social networks peaceful demonstrations in various parts of the city of Medellin….3:30 p.m. The mayor of Santiago de Cali, Jorge Iván Ospina Gómez, analysed the public order situation in the city and deeply regretted the death of two people, in events that occurred during Friday’s protests and in the framework of the national strike. “A message of solidarity with their families and the most sincere condolences from the Mayor’s Office of Cali. It is a very painful and intolerant situation from any point of view,” he said. 3:20 p.m. Citizens report the intervention of the Esmad in the concentration of the march located in the Plaza de Bolivar, downtown Bogota. 3:00 p.m. The Medellín Metro announced that the service will be completely suspended from 6:00 p.m. Tomorrow, Sunday, May 2, it will open its usual schedule, said Esteban Restrepo, Medellín’s Secretary of Government. The decision, according to the official, was taken in order to avoid damage to the system in the midst of the protests….”

More here

29/4/21:

Colombia: clashes in 7 towns and cities

Cali: “Cali is the city in the country where there have been the most violent incidents during the national strike protests. Despite today’s curfew in the capital of Valle, riots broke out again. The marches blocked the road to Alfonso Bonilla Aragon airport for hours, affecting travellers arriving and departing the city. …A Comando de Atención Inmediata (CAI) in the Punta Rellena sector was attacked today, but no police officers were affected. Interior Minister Daniel Palacios said that Thursday’s violence was not marches “but organised vandalism aimed at affecting citizens”.

Cali

El Pasto: “…citizens were prosecuted for violence against public servants, damage to property and theft,” they explained. They also reported that eight banking institutions were affected, in addition to payment institutions, six public buildings, eight commercial premises, two churches and a police facility.”

See also this

28/4/21:

Colombia: general strike leads to clashes in 10 towns and cities following tax increases  Videos and links in Spanish here

Above: Bogota

Below: Cali

Statue of the conquistador of Colombia, Sebastián de Belalcázar, pulled down by some members of the indigenous population, Misak (see also “statues quo“)