Respect the popular will in Puerto Rico

For several months now, Puerto Rico has been experiencing a profound social and political crisis. The media has denounced the mismanagement of the country's fiscal crisis, exacerbated by the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, and accusations of corruption against the authorities.

The governance crisis in Puerto Rico has reached its peak with the release of a chat coordinated by Governor Ricardo Rosselló, which exposes the extent of corruption and reveals the contempt, mockery, and sense of impunity of the political class in the face of the people's suffering. Messages expressing unacceptable levels of intolerance, homophobia, and misogyny from the governor, his closest advisors, and members of his cabinet have circulated worldwide on social media.

This situation has been condemned and has sparked a protest movement by the majority of the Puerto Rican people who have taken to the streets en masse to demand the immediate resignation of a governor who has lost credibility and the ability to provide convincing responses.

The CLACSO Steering Committee has been closely monitoring the demonstrations of hundreds of thousands of citizens who have expressed their outrage at the diversion of millions of federal dollars earmarked for education and health and have raised their voices against the disrespect shown and the lack of response toward the victims of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. This diversion of funds has caused a significant reduction in the social rights of the island's most vulnerable sectors (single mothers, children, students, the unemployed, and senior citizens).

At CLACSO, we echo the popular demands and advocate for a solution to the crisis that respects the right to social mobilization without any kind of police repression and that concludes with the restoration of an order that guarantees respect for the human rights of all people, without impunity and with an economic, social and political recovery plan in accordance with the popular will.