SOS Colombia: Solidarity with the National Strike, stop the massacre now!
From CLACSO Working Group on Popular Economies: Theoretical and Practical Mapping We reject and condemn the state and paramilitary violence that has systematically targeted the peaceful mobilizations and protests of the National Strike, violating the human rights and the right to protest of Colombian citizens.
To date, the demonstrations have completed 15 consecutive days of marches, peaceful street occupations, cultural activities, among others, which, according to data from human rights organizations, have registered a total of 47 people killed, 548 missing persons, 1876 cases of police violence and 12 victims of sexual violence were reportedThese events demonstrate serious violations of the Human Rights of Colombian citizens and of International Humanitarian Law, as they include landings of military aircraft in educational spaces and shootings and attacks on medical missions throughout the country.
Since April 28, nationwide protests have been held in rejection of the proposed tax reform. This reform sought to increase food prices through changes to the VAT system, progressively broaden the income tax base to include individuals earning salaries of $600 USD per month or more, among other measures. These changes would primarily harm the middle class and working-class sectors, while simultaneously consolidating tax exemptions for large corporations already achieved in the 2019 tax reform. Alongside the tax reform proposal, Bill 010, the health reform bill, was also introduced. This bill, introduced in the midst of a pandemic, deepens the privatization of the healthcare system, limiting access to services already controlled by corporations, and promotes self-care and the purchase of specialized health insurance.
Although the tax reform project was withdrawn by the national government, the mobilizations continue, motivated by a widespread discontent that encapsulates feelings of unease at the abandonment by the national government, the impoverishment and precariousness of life, the lack of response to popular demands, and the continuous massacres of social leaders and signatories of the Peace Accords in the country.
The massive protests, comprised of young people, precarious workers, students, women, farmers, Indigenous people, Afro-descendants, and all those who make up the popular sector, demand an effective response and solution to the problems of social issues, health, employment, mobility, hunger, and respect for life. If one thing is clear, it is that people are not doing well. According to the latest data published by the National Statistics Department, in 2020, 42,5% of the national population was living in poverty; that is to say, 21,02 million people In Colombia they are in a situation of monetary poverty. Thus, the consequences of the neoliberal economic model and the dynamics of capital accumulation in the crisis clearly emerge, a research topic that we address from the analysis of popular economies in our working group.
From these perspectives, we denounce the dramatic social and economic situation caused by the rise in poverty in Colombia and Latin America during the pandemic, within the context of a reconfiguration of the processes of dispossession and exploitation. This reconfiguration is giving rise to new social conflicts and struggles for the commons in the midst of the crisis. In the region, we are witnessing an ever-increasing concentration of wealth, the intensification of extractivism and privatizations, the expansion of the financialization of daily life and social rights within the framework of massive indebtedness, and finally, the rise of sexist and racist violence in our territories, all aimed at disciplining bodies and imposing the primacy of capitalist accumulation over life. Finally, we wish to denounce the events that occurred on May 9th in the city of Cali, when individuals in civilian clothing indiscriminately fired upon members of the Indigenous Guard of the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC), resulting in injuries to at least 10 Indigenous people, including Daniela Soto, a leader of the CRIC women's organization and a student at the University of Valle, who is in critical condition. Furthermore, we denounce the fact that the repression has been particularly violent precisely in the working-class neighborhoods that have been militarily occupied and are the most affected by this crisis. Faced with this situation and the ongoing escalation of repression in the country, we stand in solidarity with the multitudes who are taking to the streets to demand a dignified life and denounce the multiple forms of violence perpetrated by capital and the State in cities and territories.
- We denounce before the international community the violation of Human Rights by the public forces and paramilitary groups
- We demand that President Iván Duque guarantee the fundamental right to protest and stop the illegal detentions by the public forces.
- We demand that the events that occurred on May 9 against the Indigenous Guard be condemned.
May 12th 2021
CLACSO Working Group
Popular economies. Theoretical and practical mapping
This statement expresses the position of the Working Group Popular economies. Theoretical and practical mappingand not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.
