Iván Duque remains the target of protests in Colombia

As has become a tradition on the 28th of every month, Colombia witnessed on Tuesday a new day of protests against the leadership of President Iván Duque. The marches were diverse, each with its own demands, but they all share a frontal rejection of the system that has been gangrenating since before the beginning of the pandemic. In the Latin American country, the social outburst was triggered in April by the tax reform proposed by the government, a measure that was repealed after the first mass demonstrations.

The violent police repression left 70 people dead and dozens missing. This action was condemned by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and numerous international organisations. The IACHR itself visited Colombia during the mass demonstrations in the middle of the year and found "excessive and disproportionate use of force" by the police, including lethal force and the indiscriminate use of firearms.

The Polo Democrático Alternativo, a minority opposition party, sent a report to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday denouncing the slowness of the justice system and the lack of neutrality in the ongoing proceedings. This is the third appeal by opposition forces and other international bodies. In the latest missive, the centre-left group refers to episodes of torture, illegal detention, sexual violence, physical aggression, homicides and forced disappearances.

What the various groups monitoring the actions of the Colombian forces have so far been unable to prove is whether there were express orders from the government or whether they responded 'motu proprio'.

The trigger for the mobilisations was the tax reform proposal presented by President Duque. The legislation aimed to broaden the tax base and impose a progressive increase in income for low wages, measures that were harmful to the popular classes, who considered it an affront and set in motion rallies that lasted for two months without interruption.

The National Unemployment Committee (CNP), a union of numerous student and workers' unions, played a key role in the outbreak. The organisation called and led the demonstrations, a role it continues to play five months after the social upheaval. The ineffective handling of the pandemic, the precarious economic situation, the executive's disconnection with the opposition and police brutality fuelled those protests.

The protests faded over the months, in part because of the limited influence on the government's decisions, which, despite withdrawing the first proposal, succeeded after three attempts. At the end of August, the cabinet succeeded in getting the third tax reform initiative passed in both houses. The Senate and the House of Representatives gave the green light to the new economic legislation not without controversy, as opposition senators absented themselves during the vote, citing a lack of consensus on a measure that aims to raise 25 billion pesos, some 5.8 billion euros, and transform the country.

This event reignited protests in several parts of Colombia, with a particular turnout in the capital, Bogotá, and the third largest city in terms of population, Cali. In the latter, located in Valle del Cauca, the National Strike Committee, the main promoter of the protests against the government of Iván Duque, is concentrating its efforts.

Tuesday's rallies were organised by feminist groups who demanded the legalisation of abortion and protested against the rise in femicides. However, the most important rally was organised by the CNP itself, which made a mass appeal. Although with little success, as the demonstrations have not come close to the figures recorded in April.

Those witnessed on Tuesday in cities such as Cali, Bogotá, Bucamaranga or Cartagena were discreet and were marked by rain. In this sense, no incidents were recorded and they took place peacefully despite the authorities' state of alert.

On 29 May 2022, Colombia will hold presidential elections in a context of widespread distrust towards the political class. Colombian society has lost faith in the platforms that occupy the institutions due to the lack of solutions and the pressing polarisation, a phenomenon that is replicated in the rest of Latin America. In fact, with eight months to go before the elections, 77% of the electorate has not yet chosen the direction of its vote and nearly fifty pre-candidates have already registered.

Latin America coordinator: José Antonio Sierra