Thousands of people march dressed in white against violence in Colombia

Large groups of protesters dressed in white mobilize this Sunday against the protests and road closures in Colombia that unleashed a severe crisis that left almost 60 dead in clashes between police and armed civilians.

In Bogotá, Medellín and other parts of the country, demonstrations are advancing against the protests that for a month have had President Iván Duque on the ropes, who had to resort to the military to try to regain control of cities such as Cali and other towns in the southwest from the country.

Men and women in white walk with banners calling for “peace” or “no more roadblocks” and chanting prayers.

“Today we went out to march peacefully to ask for the strike to end and to return to work (…), all the road closures and blockades are affecting the national economy and are generating greater poverty,” Bernardo Henao told AFP. 63-year-old lawyer and rancher.

One month after the social outbreak that unleashed the already discarded idea of the government to raise taxes in the midst of a pandemic, the country appears fractured, with a police force that is highly questioned for its treatment of protesters and with outbreaks of violence by civilians. even armed with rifles.

“When the attack is against life, people have the right to defend themselves (…) You have to understand that people protect the country and protect themselves,” said Álvaro Aparicio, a businessman in the financial sector in his 60s.

Since April 28, tens of thousands have marched almost daily against police abuses and the government's management of the economic emergency brought on by the coronavirus, while smaller groups have begun to mobilize in recent weeks to reject the former.

The government, meanwhile, is holding negotiations with the most visible front of the protest, although not the only one, in search of agreements that alleviate the crisis. This Sunday the parties resumed their talks.

Unions, students and other social organizations, which make up the so-called Strike Committee, demand an explicit condemnation of police violence, guarantees for the protest and a State that is more supportive of a society impoverished by the pandemic, which again broke the record on Saturday daily of deaths and has the health system on the brink of collapse.