Deadly Protests In Columbia
By Kaylah Bresee
Columbia is in the midst of deadly protests. Conflict between the government and it’s citizens grows daily as the conflict is not resolved. But, what is the conflict? It began when President Iván Duque proposed a tax hike. A tax hike is the amount by which taxes are increased. Critics say the tax hike would increase prose of both food and taxes for middle class workers. Duque originally proposed the idea in an effort to unburden the government from COVID19 financial strains.
How would the tax hike affect the middle class workers? According to ABC news, the tax plan aimed to raise 6.7 billion to pay for the country's debt. In addition, it would also allow the country to help provide shelter to 3 million lower income workers. Due to COVID19, Columbia’s economy shrank by 7% last year and the poverty level grew from 36% to 43%. Furthermore, 16.8% of Colombians have been unemployed since March of last year.
Following major outrages, Duque quickly repealed the proposal and canceled it. However, by the time his efforts were made, protests were already gaslighted with anger. The government pushed back on the protests by using the police forces. However, this quickly escalated to police brutality. By definition, police brutality is when police forces use excessive and unwarranted use of law. Many citizens are calling for both police reform and major social changes. When interviewing citizens, ABC news was told “What is happening in Columbia is a massacre.” and “I have been walking every day peacefully with friends. We can observe undercover cops ... they even tried to shoot us on Monday. I was not injured.” Colombian celebrities have went on social media to speak on the topic. Shakira tweeted, “Bullets will never be able to silence the voice of the one who suffers. And it is essential that we are not deaf to the cry of our own.”
The Colombian government has reported 26 deaths. However, civil rights groups are reporting at least 38 deaths due to the protests. It is still unclear which statistic is accurate. In addition to the deaths, it is reported that about 900 were injured and there were 145 people missing, 55 of which were found. One of the deaths that are confirmed was 17 year old Marcelo Agredo. Video evidence demonstrates Agredo kicking a police officer, the officer provides to open fire on the young man. A government agency is now looking into his death. In addition, video footage and photographs show evidence of police blatantly shooting people and firing tear gas into the large crowds.
With no ending point in sight, many health experts suspect a 3rd wave of COVID to hit Columbia in the coming weeks. With the government and it’s citizens unable to come to an agreement, tensions rise each day. We can compare these events to similar ones that happened in the USA in 2020. During the BLM protests that began in March of 2020, many called for police reforms and protesters were met with police brutality. Similarly, the police in the US put out tear gas to large masses and opened fired on protestors using rubber bullets.
Course Themes:
The individual's relationship with the mass society
The evolution of the nation- state and contemporary international system
Questions:
How is the current state of Columbia similar to the BLM protests in the USA? How do they differ?
If you were the president of Columbia, what would you do moving forward and how would you help your citizens?
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/03/us/george-floyd-protests-crowd-size.html
https://www.nbcboston.com/news/national-international/a-look-at-police-brutality-in-america/2152297/
They're similiar to the BLM protests about a year ago because they involve citizens speaking up against an unfair administration (like the Police department in Minneapolis). It's also similar because the police are using violence (murder) to contain protesters, even though their lives aren't in danger. I would tell the police not to hit back unless it's in self defense (self defense in that you are in physical danger). I don't know if I could reverse the tax hike.
ReplyDeleteBLM protests and the riots in Columbia are very similar because they both deal with people standing up for unfairness in their communities. They are different because in these riots more people are suffering and also in this case they are fighting against the government vs. when it was the BLM protests it was the police we were against.
ReplyDeleteThese are similar to the BLM protest because they both deal with citizens who feel as if they are being treated unfair (in both situations they are). They also stem from violence among the minority groups.
ReplyDeleteThese are similar to the BLM protest because both events had police brutality. Both events are similar because people are standing up for what they think is right; standing up for their beliefs. Both events differ because the protest happening in Colombia are protesters vs. government whereas the BLM protest was protesters vs. police.
ReplyDeleteThe current state of Columbia is similar to the BLM protests because in both situations, the people are mad at the government and are expressing their anger in protests. The protests got out of control and the government resorted to police and military intervention to gain control of the situation, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries. In both instances, citizens were calling for police reform and social change. The situations are different because the BLM protests were racially motivated (in reaction to police brutality) and the Colombian protests were in reaction to proposed tax hikes.
ReplyDelete-Evan Louie
If I were Colombia's president, I would immediately (and publicly) pass some restrictions that the all police would be required to hold to. I would hold the authorities accountable for their actions and give the public space to peacefully protest with a promise to meet peace with peace. Assuming the riots settle down, I would schedule a press conference and come with a formal apology and transparency along with making sure the public's questions are responded to and heard. Hopefully the outburst would knock some sense into the leaders and I and we would be able to find a better solution.
ReplyDeleteIf I were Colombia's president I would ensure that the voices of citizens were heard. In addition, my immediate response would be to eliminate the violence which means holding the police force/ authorities accountable for their actions. Facilitating the protests and allowing citizens to voice their opinions and concerns allows for a stronger relationship between the government and citizens and should be prioritized.
ReplyDeleteThe current state of Columbia is similar to the BLM riots because people were standing up to injustice that was present in their communities. They were both hoping to make a change in their communities. They both also sparked large protests and riots where violence and fighting went down.
ReplyDelete