Latin Analysis: Understanding the Protests in Colombia
JOAQUIN SARMIENTO
Since April 28th, 2021, the South American country of Colombia has erupted in violent anti-government protests. What started as public outrage after a tax increase was planned by the government has now turned into weeks of civil unrest between protesters and police. These protests are of a similar vein to the ones that happened back in 2019, which were a part of a larger protest movement that swept across much of the South American continent. Colombians are deeply unsatisfied with the state of the economy, something that the pandemic has only worsened. The mere proposal of a tax increase, which the government claimed was to ebb some of the financial burdens of the pandemic, outraged the public into a frenzy on the streets, where over 60 people have been killed so far as of June 1st, 2021.
The current government is run by conservative President Ivan Duque. In late April, Duque put forth a tax increase proposal on commodities such as staple food items, as well as utilities like gasoline in an attempt to decrease the growing deficit. These measures were heavily criticized as the government’s financial problems would be placed directly on the people, hurting the middle and working classes the most after a year of high unemployment and increasing poverty. After only a few days of protests, Duque pulled the reform, asking congress to instead revise it. Despite the effort, the people have not backed down, with violent protests sustaining the whole month of May.
What started as protests against a specific piece of legislation has turned into protests against the deep dissatisfaction Colombians feel about the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, police, health care, education, and the lack of opportunities for young people. The city of Cali in particular has been an epicenter of some of the more violent protests, resulting in military troops being sent in to attempt to ease the violence happening in Cali. The continued intensity of the demonstrations there has been in large part due to the police brutality protesters have been receiving.
Colombia’s national police force is a heavily armed guard, experienced with fighting guerilla rebel groups such as the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and ELN (National Liberation Army), and drug-related crime. Now, as they turned their focus towards fighting demonstrators, the police have greatly exacerbated protests. While fighting the FARC and other heavily armed groups require the police to be equally armed, fighting against demonstrators and civilians who aren’t built for war creates a situation of excessive force. Allegedly dozens of deaths have been at the hands of security and police forces. In response, the youth movement and other protesters have not backed down.
The intensity of the protests is cognizant of both Latin America’s general protest culture and the larger regional movement that had captured Colombia as well in late 2019. Colombian President Ivan Duque was in his first two years of office at the time, and the Colombian people were already disappointed in his lackluster leadership and ties to organized crime. During his campaign, Duque’s relationships with politicians who have known ties to organized crime syndicates had garnered much criticism. Widespread electoral fraud was subsequently uncovered during his general election, and it was uncovered last year that Duque and Colombia’s previous president Alvaro Uribe colluded with a drug trafficking organization to rig the election.
Despite Duque’s lack of legitimacy, his policy has equally been met with much disapproval. Previously, Colombia’s large protests in 2019 were also sparked by a tax increase proposal. The government’s response was eerily similar to now, with police using excessive force and violence against demonstrators, which subsequently caused an uptick in anti-government sentiment. The pandemic only worsened Duque’s image, as Coronavirus funds were used in a corrupt manner. All in all, Colombians are fed up with Duque, and they view his presence in office as the political takeover of organized crime.
During the last week of May 2021, pre-agreement talks between protest leaders and the government occurred. However, a few days later the talks stalled, remaining unmoved since. Protest leadership wants assurance on the rights and safety of demonstrators. The government wants roadblocks to be removed to end the shortages in goods and resume the transportation of exports and imports. The city of Cali is located near Colombia’s biggest port, Buenaventura, so the roadblocks have greatly affected the country’s economy. While some blockades have been removed, more than 30 are still intact. With the government unwilling to accept the pre-agreement, they have instead decided to apply more force by deploying the military to Cali and several other areas in the country.
The military is unlikely to quell these demonstrations unless extreme acts of repression and violence are utilized. Human rights groups across the world have already condemned the abuses committed by police forces. What Colombians want is the simple recognition of inequality and poverty, and for it to be addressed in a way that doesn’t place the burden on the middle and lower classes. Over 3.5 million Colombians have been pushed into poverty due to the pandemic. Certain solutions such as dropping university fees and the establishment of a universal basic income have been demanded by protest leadership as a means to ease inequality. While protest leadership has claimed victory on Duque’s drop of the initial tax increase, they are demanding other concessions from the government. Whether or not Duque gives in to these demands, one thing is for certain: both sides are unlikely to back down anytime soon.
