Declaration of the CLACSO Working Group on Law, Classes and Reconfiguration of Capital
The CLACSO Working Group “Law, Classes, and the Reconfiguration of Capital” denounces the use of authoritarian mechanisms, typical of dictatorships in the strictest sense, in resolving political and social conflicts caused by the deepening of economic measures that place the burden of state debt on the shoulders of workers. We observe with concern that these authoritarian measures and forms are a regional trend (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay) that has intensified in recent years, highlighting the limitations and contradictions inherent in the capitalist state and democracy. We urge the opening of new horizons for the socialization of the means of production and political decision-making.
In Ecuador, Decree 883, known as the “Paquetazo,” represented an attempt to impose measures demanded by the International Monetary Fund, backed and monitored by the United States government through Secretary of State Mike Pence, in violation of the sovereignty and self-determination of peoples. The decree constitutes the latest in a series of neoliberal policies, invoking “democracy,” “freedom,” and “prosperity” to impose brutal economic conditions on the majority of the population. We repudiate the use of these policies, which deepen and perpetuate the most egregious inequalities.
On the other hand, we denounce the use of curfews and the militarization of the country as measures deemed “necessary” by the government to implement Decree 883, which sparked widespread outrage and protests against the decree. We also denounce the numerous human rights violations against protesters during the crackdown, which, according to data from the Ombudsman's Office, resulted in 8 deaths, 1340 injuries, and 1192 arrests.[1]
We demand a serious investigation into these violations and appropriate punishment for both those responsible materially and those who ordered them.
Although Decree 883 has been repealed, there has been no announcement of an end to the unpopular measures imposed by the IMF and overseen by the United States government. This creates a precarious situation and could lead to escalating conflicts in the near future. Therefore, we demand an end to the undemocratic imposition of economic measures by the IMF and the opening of avenues for economic and political socialization.
In Colombia, we strongly condemn the systematic, institutionalized, and unpunished acts of violence perpetrated by the Colombian National Police and the Mobile Anti-Disturbance Squadron (ESMAD) against social protest and, more generally, against popular mobilization. In particular, we denounce the violent, savage, and necropolitical attacks carried out against our comrades from Comuna Quilombo, members of this Working Group, during the public demonstrations against state violence on October 8 and 10 in Bucaramanga. These actions are part of the criminalization of critical thought and emancipatory positions, which has resulted in fabricated legal cases and pronouncements that endanger professors and students, especially in public universities. In Colombia, the Jorge Adolfo Freytter Romero Association (AJAFR) and other civil society actors have documented the severity and lack of transparency surrounding these types of cases in Colombia (between 2000 and 2019).[2]
Currently, the case of professors Henry Forero and Leonardo Jaimes at the Industrial University of Santander demonstrates how the administration has implemented processes of stigmatization that place professors under suspicion and in a vulnerable position. The Working Group expresses its full support for the student movements and demands an end to the mechanisms of stigmatization, criminalization, and violent repression against students and professors.
We also denounce the real and clear genocide of Indigenous peoples committed through the systematic and ongoing assassination of Indigenous leaders and guards, especially in the Cauca region. According to human rights defenders, 234 Indigenous leaders have been murdered during Iván Duque's administration.[3]
This occurs despite the government's attempts to downplay this genocide by claiming that these are isolated incidents and mere community squabbles. This is far more serious given the resurgence of paramilitary activity and violence against peripheral and local communities. Government indifference leads to inadequate and re-victimizing investigations, ultimately preventing the identification of those responsible for these atrocious and repeated crimes. We demand a thorough and appropriate investigation that considers the systematic and ongoing nature of the killings, as well as an end to all forms of stigmatization against Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and peasant communities.
In Chile, we denounce President Piñera's declaration of "war" against the Chilean people and the imposition of dictatorial measures such as declaring a state of emergency, appointing a military officer to command, imposing a curfew, militarizing the streets, and the successive human rights violations that have occurred in recent days. The widespread rebellion of the Chilean people, which has spread to every city in the country, was triggered by the increase in subway fares in Santiago, but it quickly spread throughout the nation. It is a social response to the profound inequalities produced by a neoliberal system imposed by force during the Pinochet dictatorship, a system that exploits the vast majority of the population for the benefit of large national and foreign corporations. This system denies social rights (starvation pensions and wages, the most expensive private education in all of Latin America, and a healthcare system in crisis), excluding large sectors of the population from basic rights and condemning them to precarious living conditions.
We condemn the use of classic war strategies, police and military repression, along with actions that deliberately create shortages for the population and the manipulation of the media to portray the conflict in a one-sided manner favorable to the government. We also denounce the government's manipulation of protesters' social media accounts. Most seriously, we denounce and condemn the police and military repression that has already resulted in murders, rapes, and torture. We demand thorough and serious national and international investigations, and punishment for those responsible at all levels of government, including not only the perpetrators but also mid- and high-ranking officials as the intellectual authors.
The Working Group denounces and condemns the imposition of anti-popular policies that violate the life and rights of the working class, and which are being imposed through dictatorial and repressive measures.
The Working Group expresses its support for all forms of popular organization resisting these measures, including Indigenous communities and student and teacher organizations defending public education. Furthermore, it demands the opening of avenues for the socialization of the means of production and political decision-making as the only way to build a region with justice and dignity.
[1] CNN, “Ombudsman: At least 8 people died in the protests,” October 15, 2019. Available at https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2019/10/15/minuto-a-minuto-disturbios-y-esfuerzos-de-dialogo-en-medio-de-la-crisis-en-ecuador/
[2]Audiovisual report, Report “Public Universities Under Suspicion: State repression of students, faculty and union members in Colombia (2000 – 2019)” Available at: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2035696066532349
[3]Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC) “Unity against genocide” October 18, 2019. Available at https://www.cric-colombia.org/portal/unidad-contra-el-genocidio/ Telesur, “Three Indigenous Leaders Assassinated in Colombia”, October 18, 2019. Available at https://www.telesurtv.net/news/colombia-denuncia-asesinato-tres-lideres-indigenas–20191018-0003.html
October 2019
CLACSO Working Group
Law, classes and the reconfiguration of capital
