Colombians march against right-wing president
Thousands of Colombians took to the streets of cities across the country on Wednesday to protest the policies of new right-wing President Abelardo de la Espriella.
The demonstrations mark the first show of force by the opposition since De la Espriella took office in August vowing to combat crime and eradicate “narco-terrorists.”
Trade unionists, indigenous Colombians, students, and feminists gathered at a rally in Bogota led by former left-wing President Gustavo Petro.
“It’s going to fall!” demonstrators chanted, referring to Colombia’s most right-wing government in decades.
De la Espriella said that 62,000 protesters took part in the marches and that “98 percent of the demonstrations took place peacefully.”
What began as peaceful protests during the day grew heated in some areas as night fell, with riot police deployments, water cannons, and tear gas.
Opposition Sen. Maria Eugenia Londono said on X that “heavy repressive deployments” had been reported in various spots around the country, from downtown Bogota to Popayan, Cauca, and Ibague, Tolima.
Petro headed Colombia’s first-ever leftist administration, which expanded free access to public universities, oversaw record increases to the minimum wage, and improved labor conditions for employees.
Leftists fear that these advances are under threat from his successor, a US-backed millionaire who is part of a US-backed right-wing wave sweeping Latin America.
“I feel like we have no guarantees and that the little we did obtain … we’re about to lose,” teacher Ester Guerra, 32, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) in Bogota.
De la Espriella is one of the most divisive Colombian leaders of modern times.
He has been cheered on by conservatives for taking the fight to guerrilla groups that refused to lay down arms a decade ago when the powerful FARC rebel army disbanded.
Authoritarian streak
His critics accuse him of endangering the country’s fragile peace process, threatening minority rights, and showing an authoritarian streak.
“Everything we have fought for so long is at risk today,” said Unzo Vargas, a 44-year-old civil servant, who protested in Bogota with a rainbow flag for the LGBTQ+ community.
On the eve of the marches, De la Espriella issued a decree giving authorities greater powers to crack down on demonstrations in the event of damage to property or blocking of streets.
“Violence, vandalism, and blockades that trample on the rights of millions of citizens will not be tolerated,” he wrote on X.
The president’s threat to unleash force on demonstrators was slammed by his opponents as an attempt to silence critics.
“They’re trying to frighten the population so people don’t go out to protest, but it’s a constitutional right,” said Oscar Perez, a 40-year-old teacher.
Protesters also voiced strong disapproval of De la Espriella’s foreign policy.
A trained lawyer, he has restored diplomatic relations with Israel, which Petro broke off over the country’s offensive in Gaza, and announced controversial plans to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
De la Espriella is also an enthusiastic US ally, and protesters burned an American flag in the streets of the capital while others waved Palestinian flags.
