In Colombia’s mass protests, Indigenous and Black activists find echoes of colonial history
For the past month, Colombia has hosted ongoing national protests. Originally launched to object to tax reform, the protests have become a movement critiquing the country’s structural inequalities. The Colombian government’s violent suppression tactics against Black and Indigenous groups — including Indigenous coalitions known as mingas — have led many activists to link police brutality with the violence of colonial hierarchies.
A significant proportion of protesters in Colombia’s southwest are Indigenous or Black — making the military police’s racial violence against them into a key issue.
As President Iván Duque continues to deploy military police against protesters, we can look to Colombia’s history for and warnings about such tactics.… Seguir leyendo »