- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
- Click to share on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
- Click here to share on LinkedIn (Opens in a new window)
- Click to email a friend (Opens in a new window)
(CNN Spanish) - We arrived at seven days of protests in Colombia and the national strike, called by various sectors does not seem to have a near end. This Tuesday, after a meeting with President Iván Duque, the National Unemployment Committee convened a new day of demonstrations.
The demonstrations leave four dead so far, including Dilan Cruz, a young man who died as a result of a shot by a member of the public force and who became the face of the protest.
President Duque, a social conservative, came to power in August 2018 and now faces widespread discontent over rising unemployment, economic reforms and the deterioration of the security situation.
- Minute by minute: new day of national unemployment in Colombia
- Dilan Cruz dies, the young man who was shot by the police during protests in Colombia
How did we get here?
The national strike on November 21 has extended for several days, with Colombians joining the "spring" of anti-government protests that have rocked several countries in the region this year.
The first call to unemployment of 21N was made by the Unitary Central of Workers, CUT, on October 4, "against the policies of Duke and for peace." His call for alert was against the possible labor and pension reforms of the government, as well as tax reform. On October 30, indigenous groups joined the call to unemployment, denouncing a "genocide" for months, and asking the national government to respect the peace agreements of Havana, signed in 2016.
The Government has said that it has implemented defense programs against the murders of social leaders, has defended the “peace with legality” of the peace agreements and has said that it has not presented pension and labor reforms, while the Tax Office fell into Congress.
- Iván Duque faces his first general strike in rejection of his government
A military tank patrols near a public transport bus during a vigil in Bogotá by Dilan Cruz on November 26, 2019. (Credit: Guillermo Legaria / Getty Images)
For some protesters, the trigger that generated the massive call on social networks was the revelation of Senator Roy Barreras in early November on the death of at least eight children in an army bombing against criminal organizations, in August in the department of Caquetá, in the southwest of the country. These events led to the resignation of Colombian Defense Minister Guillermo Botero on November 6.
In addition, Colombians protest the increase in unemployment in the last year, the increase in murders of social leaders. Duque has said that during his government the killings of leaders have decreased, but figures from the Office of the Prosecutor and Legal Medicine, as well as from the UN, do not coincide with those of the government.
Protest against the government of Iván Duque on November 23, 2019. (Credit: RAUL ARBOLEDA / AFP via Getty Images)
Violent facts
The mobilization of November 21 - which had a stigmatization prelude to social protest, according to several sectors - was mostly peaceful throughout the national territory, but vandalism was recorded in Cali and Bogotá. That night the authorities registered three dead and in Cali there was a curfew.
Last Friday the protests were marked by acts of vandalism, not only to public buildings, but also, according to some complaints, to shops and homes.
The most recent figures from the Prosecutor's Office are 172 captured in flagrance for damage to others, violence against public servants and obstruction of roads and disruption of transport and theft. The defense minister said Tuesday that so far more than 300 police officers have been injured in the protest days since November 21.
On Tuesday, a police officer in Neiva was injured when an unconventional explosive device was launched by protesters, said the director of the National Police, General Óscar Atheortúa.
Indignation and total rejection of the cowardly attack with unconventional explosive device, which keeps our PT Arnoldo Veru in serious health. The brave uniformed did his duty during a protest in #Neiva. We are with his family and we look for the authors
- General Oscar Atehortua D (@DirectorPolicia) November 26, 2019
The death of Dilan Cruz
A violent act by the public force marked the mobilization day on November 23: Dilan Cruz, an 18-year-old man who protested peacefully, was shot in the head by a member of the Anti-Riot Mobile Squadron, ESMAD. On November 25, Dilan died. The young man became the face of protests against what many have claimed is police brutality.
- Friend of Dilan Cruz: "We hold the Colombian government responsible for my friend's health"
[c nn-video url = ”http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/spanish/2019/11/26/dilan-cruz-despedida-amigos-protesta-colombia-joven-de- secondary-symbol-pkg-diana-castrillon.cnn.html ”% 5D
The defense minister stressed on Tuesday that, contrary to what has been denounced, ESMAD does not use unconventional weapons, but uses registered and guaranteed weapons for this type of force and said that riot police force “will continue to guarantee the Colombian security. ”
Both the national government headed by President Duque and the local government, headed by Mayor Enrique Peñalosa, lamented Cruz's death. The police officer who shot Dilan was removed from his position and an investigation is under way, Bogotá Metropolitan Police told CNN in Spanish.
The defense minister said that during the week of protests he has acted "institutionally" in defense of those who demonstrate peacefully and "against the violent and criminals."
Demonstrations against ESMAD and in rejection of the death of Dilan Cruz in Bogotá on November 26, 2019. (Credit: RAUL ARBOLEDA / AFP via Getty Images)
The commander of the Metropolitan Police of Bogotá, General Hoover Penilla, spoke on Sunday about the aggression suffered by Dilan Cruz and defended the actions of the public force in this case. According to him, the Police have a background and adhere to protocols respecting human rights.
Penilla insisted that the Mobile Riot Squadron, ESMAD, which fired at the young man, does not use lethal weapons, but that sometimes, like Cruz's case, "eventualities can happen."
“That policeman tells me in his drama 'this is how my life came to me, my family here, my profession here,' here everything he has projected and built. Of course, I can't get Dilan out of that bed where he is at the moment or that intensive care room, but I also have to put myself in the shoes of this other person. ”
On Tuesday night, with protesters still in the streets, there was an evening in honor of Dilan Cruz and in rejection of violence.
The cacerolazos do not stop
But the disagreement over the violent events, which the participants of the march said they do not represent, generated a spontaneous cacerolazo in several cities of the country on Thursday night, with thousands of people taking to the streets to express their disagreement with both National government as against the violent.
The Colombian defense minister, Carlos Holmes Trujillo, showed his rejection that the violent attacks “public property, public transport systems, citizens… well, they hurt in many cities of Colombia, they felt what the true purpose is that he encourages them… the one to destroy, ”he said Tuesday.
Despite this, the concentrations, marches, mobilizations have not ceased, with thousands of Colombians who continue to take to the streets in the main cities of the country since last November 21.
National dialogue
After several days of protests across the country, President Duque convened a great “national conversation” with several sectors to “create a space of trust between politicians and institutions with all citizens” and solve the requests of the protesters These days will take place until March 15.
The first meeting in the middle of the strike was on November 23 with businessmen and merchants.
Then, on the 24th, he met with mayors and elected governors who will begin his term in January 2020, and the next day he met with current mayors and governors. Only five days after the national strike began, on November 26, he met with the conveners.
In a two-hour meeting on Tuesday with the central government, the National Committee of the Paro asked the Government for an "exclusive" dialogue with the president and not to mix with the National Conversation at meetings in which other agencies such as high courts , Office of the Ombudsman, among others, said Diogenes Orjuela, president of the Unitary Central of Workers.
"Our meetings are exclusive with the National Government," said the CUT representative.
"The issues will be aborted by the National Government and the National Committee of Unemployment exclusively through the mechanisms that are agreed between them independent of those established by the Government for which it has called 'Grand National Dialogue'", added Orjuela.
Look: Trade unionists demand 13 points to negotiate
Among the requests of the National Unemployment Committee are the withdrawal of the Draft Tax Reform Law, not to process a pension reform, or labor reform; neither privatize state enterprises.
They also ask for the dissolution of ESMAD, something that the defense minister flatly rejected on Tuesday, to comply with the agreements reached with students, indigenous people, workers and peasants, as well as to comply with and implement the peace agreements in Havana.
Students attend a vigil for Dilan Cruz, an 18-year-old protester who was injured by an ESMAD shot and died on November 25. (Credit: BARRETO / AFP) (Photo by JUAN BARRETO / AFP via Getty Images)
After the meeting, President Iván Duque said that "to talk is not to arrive with the unilateral claim" and "put a demand on the table."
Duque said Tuesday that he will open the doors to talk about how “peace with legality” is built in a conversation that includes all Colombians.
He also announced some economic measures such as the VAT refund for the most vulnerable families, reduction in the health contributions of Colombians with minimum wage pensions, tax incentives to companies that create jobs for people between 18 and 28 years old and three days without VAT for the purchase of some items.
This Wednesday, protesters have taken to the streets again to pronounce their nonconformity with the national government.
It is November 27 and the national strike in Colombia continues.
National strike in Colombia