Colombian police kill 19 protestors after tax reform proposal
If you’ve been on social media or have been reading the news lately, you’re probably aware that Colombia is currently living through a humanitarian crisis. What started as peaceful protests against President Iván Duque‘s proposed tax reform resulted in violence against the Colombian people. On Tuesday, BBC News reported that state officials killed 19 people, several were missing, and hundreds endured abuse from those in power. As the protest continues, many are asking what exactly started it all. Scroll through as we break down all current events happening in Colombia.
The right-wing government of Iván Duque proposed a tax reform that favored the rich
Like many countries around the world, COVID took a toll on Colombia’s economy. Colombia’s fiscal deficit widened to 7.8% of GDP in 2020. In efforts to aid the economy, president Ivan Duque proposed a tax reform that would favor the wealthy and cause more stress on the working and lower classes. The plan would increase taxes on many citizens and business owners on water, gas, electricity, internet, and sewerage. It also would tax essentials such as meat, fish, eggs, gasoline, and tampons. Currently, the minimum salary in Colombia is only $260 a month.
Colombians protest against increased taxes
On April 28, thousands of people took to the streets of Colombia’s major cities to protests against the proposed tax reform and the country’s economic inequality.
Colombia’s former president glorified violence
While the people of Colombia took to the streets to demand the withdraw of the tax reform, Colombia’s ex-president Alvaro Uribe turned to Twitter to support the use of lethal force against protesters. “Let’s support the right of soldiers and police to use their firearms to defend their integrity and to defend people and property from criminal acts of terrorist vandalism,” wrote Uribe on the social media platform. The tweet has since been deleted from Twitter for violating the platform’s rules by glorifying the violence. On May 1, Uribe expressed his displeasure with Twitter’s decision to delete his tweet with a video message. “Twitter executives, respectfully, hatred is not born from the legitimate exercise of force and authority. Hatred is born from the promotion of the class struggle, from the murder of working citizens, from the destruction of their property, from the aggression to the policeman who is prevented from defending his integrity, “ Uribe said.
People are killed by the police
On Sunday, Colombia’s President Iván Duque asked Congress to withdraw his criticized tax reform plan. However, the fight for justice is not over. Since the protest on April 28, there’s a humanitarian crisis of the state abusing its power against its citizens. It is reported that there have been at least 940 cases of police brutality and 19 people killed. Colombians have flooded social media platforms with videos of officials beating, hurting, and killing civilians.
J Balvin and more Latinx celebrities are using their voice to raise awareness
Like many issues, the media has mainly focused on Duque’s tax reform and the protests, rather than the violence incited toward the Colombian people. That’s why J Balvin decided to take matters into his own hands and bring awareness to the abuse of power. In a tweet posted on Tuesday, Balvin tagged CNN, saying, “Colombia can’t take this no more,” adding, “In my Instagram accounts, there’s plenty of videos of what’s going on right now. The reggaetonero shared a series of graphic clips of people killed on the streets and more. Since then, many more celebrities have broken their silence, including Shakira, who shared a powerful message on social media. “Bullets can never silence the voice of those who suffer,” the mother-of-two wrote.
United Nations is alarmed by the violence towards protestors
On Tuesday, the United Nation’s human rights office said they’re alarmed by the violence coming from police who opened fire on its civilians in Cali. “We express our profound shock at the events there and stress our solidarity with those who have lost their lives, as well as the injured and their families,” spokeswoman Maria Hurtado said during a press briefing, adding, “We remind the state authorities of their responsibility to protect human rights, including the right to life and security of person, and to facilitate the exercise of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly.”