A new social outburst against the anti-popular policies of the bourgeoisie has taken place, this time in Colombia.
Millions of workers, peasants, youth, women, unemployed, artists, retirees, neighborhood residents have paralyzed the country with a combative protest that began last April 28, and is still continuing despite the dozens of fighters murdered by the forces of law and order, the hundreds wounded, tortured, beaten, and even sexually assaulted. The Army and the Police have responded with their usual warlike policy, to confront those they consider the internal enemy.
The forcefulness of the protest, which has even exceeded the forecasts of the organizations that called the strike on March 28, forced the right-wing government of Iván Duque to withdraw the tax reform bill, which, cynically, was called “Sustainable Solidarity”. This was intended to increase and raise taxes on salaries and consumption, which mainly affect the popular and middle sectors of the population, while the Government has taken measures to lower taxes on the income of large companies.
The tax reform did not pass, the popular mobilization forced the resignation of the Minister of Finance, Alberto Carrasquilla -the gray brain of the project- and Duque has called for a “national dialogue” to overcome the crisis, but the struggle continues. The Colombian people are not giving truce, they are challenging an authoritarian State, openly repressive, in which it is public that the heads of the military, police and the entire security apparatus share fascist ideas, work under the tutelage of the US intelligence apparatus, are promoters of paramilitary groups and have links with drug trafficking. This struggle is a clear example that when the popular majorities unite and fight, they push back the fiercest enemy.
The massiveness, breadth and combativeness of the protest express the degree of dissatisfaction and frustration of the people with their living conditions: close to 10% open unemployment, 50% of people working in informality; one of the countries with the highest rate of internally displaced people due to poverty, violence and insecurity generated by the State; a population hard hit by the pandemic and a government unable to articulate an adequate vaccination plan; the country with the second highest military budget in Latin America; a country in which in the first quarter of this year there were 23 massacres and during 2020 more than 250 peasants, population, union and community leaders were assassinated. In November 2019, the Colombian people already gave a clarion call with a massive and combative social protest; in general the claims, the mobilizations of different popular sectors are constant.
We express our solidarity with this struggle and call to continue to raise in different countries actions of solidarity with the people and condemn the government of Ivan for the criminal repression unleashed against the people. We join the demand for the resignation of President Ivan Duque.
We join the comrades and leaders of the Communist Party of Colombia (Marxist-Leninist) who are in the front line of the struggle.
We denounce that the most reactionary sectors of the Colombian State: Uribe, Duque, the heads of the military and police forces look at social protest and its actors as war actions, as events that seek to “destabilize power and put an end to democracy”, under that logic they have responded with viciousness and hatred to the demands of the people. The forces of law and order are in a state of war against the people, which we repudiate and call for its condemnation throughout the world.
Coordinating Committee
International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organisations
CIPOML