Colombia’s opposition takes to the street to protest De la Espriella
Despite intimidation attempts by the national government and the police, tens of thousands of people took to the streets throughout Colombia to protest the far-right government of President Abelardo De la Espriella. The protest had been organized by social organizations, labor unions and the country’s largest opposition party, the Historic Pact. Opposition leader Ivan Cepeda, […] The post…
Despite attempts to intimidate them, thousands of Colombians gathered in the streets to protest against far-right President Abelardo De la Espriella's government. Organized by social organizations, labor unions, and the Historic Pact, the largest opposition party, the protest accused the government of "exercising a mafia-style rule in the service of the worst elements of Colombian politics—the drug trade."
President De la Espriella maintains that his government does not oppose drug trafficking, but rather supports drug cartels and paramilitaries, and is working against the democratic advances made by President Gustavo Petro. In a move aimed at quelling the protests, De la Espriella signed a decree altering police response to demonstrations and labeled the organizers as "instigators of evil" seeking to cause chaos.
Human rights groups criticized the security forces for placing snipers on buildings in Bogota and Cali, as well as deploying a helicopter over the protesters. The demonstrations were a prelude to a larger "national strike" planned for November, which could potentially bring parts of Colombia to a halt in 2021. Opposition leader Ivan Cepeda, who has not yet recognized De la Espriella as the legitimate president following his July election loss, warned that their cause was far from over.
Written by urgent.news from Colombia Reports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
