"Out of Colombia...Bush is a terrorist to liberty."The protests picked up today, with at least 5 tanks, 300 police and 200 "hooded" students throwing rocks and small explosives at the police around the corner from my apartment. I live next to the National University, the largest and best university in the country and, I was informed, Latin America. After seeing a friend to the airport, I took the bus back only to find the road to my house closed and teargas spilling down the street. I know now why they call it tear gas...as I teared for a while at the fumes. There was no confusion today at what was being protested, as students chanted "resistence! down with imperialism," and American flags were burned in downtown Bogotá. Things reportedly will only continue to pick up until Sunday, when Bush arrives.
It is intense, and I would say inspiring to see so many students out protesting (though the rock-throwing is, well, the opposite of inspiring). The vast majority of students attending the rally were peaceful, and unlike some protests I've been to in the US, when I "interviewed" protest onlookers for this blog, all students at the National University, they all knew why they were there, and wanted to let me know: some excerpts:- We are here protesting the TLC (the pending Free Trade Agreement with Colombia) becuase it will destroy our economy, use up our natural resources, and eliminate indigenous communities.
- We know that Plan Colombia is really a counter-insurgency plan more than having anything to do with helping our country out socially. The money goes to help the armed forces, who 1 year ago killed a student, Oscar Salas, in one of these demonstrations. We are indignant that Bush is coming to a place where he is just destroying society, which is what the US has always done here...
- Diana, 18, National University student studying law: We are against the policy of armed conquering that the US carries out in colombia, against the repression that is carried out here.
- Christian, 18, National University student studying law: This is also a protest against Uribe [Colombian president and close Bush ally], who is in the middle of selling this country, and worsening the existing inequality
