“We must stand with our Colombian comrades to defend their human rights, to defend Colombian democracy and to defend the peace that is the foundation of human progress.”
By Justice for Columbia
Justice for Colombia is extremely concerned about the implications for peace and for the safety and legal security of the leaders and activists of Colombia’s progressive movement following the election of far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella.
In recent years, Colombia has generated hope of a brighter future through the signing of the 2016 peace agreement and the subsequent 2022 election of its first pro-worker and progressive government under Gustavo Petro and the Historic Pact.
With the support of a mass movement for change, this government ended the stigmatisation of trade unions and the social movement and took important steps to build a fairer and more peaceful society through pensions reform, agrarian reform, peace implementation, reduction of poverty, action against narcotics, improved access to education and other measures. The popular movement, the trade unions, social movements, rural communities, women and young people were crucial to these gains.
That progress is now under threat. President-elect De la Espriella pledges to rip up the 2016 peace agreement, intensify armed conflict, massively cut social spending, overturn environmental protections and bring Colombia firmly into the orbit of Trump’s White House.
His hostility towards political opponents could augur the return to systematic state-backed violence against trade unions, political opponents, social activists and others. Many of his extreme policies would violate the Colombian constitution and attack the basic rights Colombians enjoy.
De la Espriella’s rhetoric is openly misogynistic, homophobic and violent. He has close links to paramilitary groups that massacred and forcibly displaced huge numbers of people and has expressed his admiration for them. Some of his allies have already referred to ‘tearing the guts out’ of the progressive Historic Pact party, while De la Espriella has stated that leftists are his ‘enemy’, that they are ‘scum’ and that he feels repulsion for them. It is deeply alarming that in the context of Colombia’s recent dirty war, this kind of official stigmatisation could again lead to widespread violence.
De la Espriella’s plans to build mega-prisons and crack down on those he deems ‘criminals’ will prove devastating for human rights, just as they have done in El Salvador. His promise to use the army against armed groups will escalate violence in conflict regions, create more victims and could provoke an upsurge in armed groups. 60 years of conflict have shown clearly that more violence is not the solution to Colombia’s armed conflict, a truth that underlay the 2016 agreement.
The CUT trade union federation has declared its opposition to an incoming government that will ‘be marked by a policy of stigmatisation and open persecution’, as well as mass privatisations and open US interference in Colombia’s affairs. The CUT is part of a much broader coalition of centre-left forces setting out to oppose De la Espriella.
In the elections, progressive candidate Iván Cepeda won an unprecedented number of votes. More than 12.7m people chose a political project rooted in peace, social justice and the environment – half of Colombia’s electorate. The Historic Pact is the largest single political party in Congress. There are dozens of human rights, environmental and social movements across Colombia.
Cepeda and others will now lead the creation of a ‘Grand Alliance for Life’, formed of centre and left forces to peacefully defend the Constitution, democracy and the human, political and social rights that De la Espriella threatens. The CUT has stated that it will join this initiative. Having endured throughout decades of dirty war and armed conflict, Colombian trade unions and social movements have shown incredible resilience, creativity and courage, a tradition that they will now draw upon.
We can be sure that peaceful resistance to De la Espriella’s extreme agenda will be organised and strong, but if it is to weather the coming storms, it will need the unstinting support of the international community, including JFC and our many supporters across Britain, Ireland and beyond.
Steve Gillan, POA General Secretary, JFC Chair and TUC president said: ‘We must stand with our Colombian comrades to defend their human rights, to defend Colombian democracy and to defend the peace that is the foundation of human progress. Our support is needed more than ever in this troubled time.’
- Justice for Columbia work in support of trade unionism, human rights and peace in Colombia. You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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