A coalition of opposition parties, trade unions, indigenous groups and social movements has protested in Colombia against a series of economic and security policies advanced under right-wing President Abelardo de la Espriella.
asserted
coalition → protest → Espriella
Thousands marched in major cities including the capital Bogota on Wednesday, the first day of a nationwide campaign led by the country’s former left-wing President Gustavo Petro.
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Thousands → march → President
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Under Petro, Colombia expanded access to public universities, increased the minimum wage and improved labour protections for workers.
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Colombia → extradite → workers
Opposition groups say many of those reforms are now under threat, as de la Espriella’s government embraces cuts to government programmes.
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government → say → programmes
Colombia’s Congress has until Tuesday to approve its 2027 fiscal year budget.
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Congress → have → budget
But as part of the new administration’s austerity measures, allies of de la Espriella are advancing proposals to reduce government spending.
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allies → advance → spending
De la Espriella has also pledged to turn Colombia away from his predecessor’s left-wing leanings and towards more free-market policies aligned with those of United States President Donald Trump.
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Espriella → pledge → Trump
The government issued new rules for police ahead of the protests, handing expanded powers to law enforcement to more quickly deal with protesters who vandalise public property or disrupt access to essential services.
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who → issue → services
“The right to protest is respected, but there is no right to destroy, attack the security forces, assault others or sow chaos,” de la Espriella said in a social media statement announcing the decree.
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Espriella → protest → decree
He added that “violence, vandalism and blockades that trample on the rights of millions of citizens will not be tolerated”.
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that → add → citizens
Indigenous communities and political groups in rural parts of the country sometimes block roads as part of their protests, with impediments to traffic sometimes lasting weeks.
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impediments → block → traffic
But critics have pointed out that the protests this week have been largely peaceful.
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protests → point → ?
Many chanted “It will fall”, a reference to the perceived failure of de la Espriella’s government.
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It → chant → government
A former defence lawyer and millionaire businessman, de la Espriella was a political newcomer when he ran for the presidency this year on a far-right ticket.
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he → run → ticket
He was elected in a June runoff race by a narrow margin.
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He → elect → margin
He campaigned on a hardline platform to address crime, immigration and the economy, including proposals to expel millions of migrants from Colombia and shrink the size of the government.
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He → campaign → government
De la Espriella also pledged to backtrack on reforms made under Petro, Colombia’s first left-wing president.
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Espriella → pledge → Petro
He took office in August.
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He → take → August
A former left-wing fighter-turned-politician, Petro took part in protests on Wednesday.
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Petro → turn → Wednesday
He was not eligible for re-election in this year’s presidential race; Colombian law currently caps presidents at a single term.
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law → cap → term
He wrote on social media that the mobilisations were a wake-up call “two months into the start of a tyrannical and imposed government”.
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mobilisations → write → government
Protesters also expressed concerns about cuts to labour protections and healthcare under the new administration.
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Protesters → express → administration
“I feel like we have no guarantees and that the little we did obtain … we’re about to lose,” teacher Ester Guerra, 32, told the news outlet AFP in Bogota.
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Guerra → feel → Bogota
Some demonstrators also took issue with the new administration’s overtures towards Israel.
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demonstrators → take → Israel
Several carried Palestinian flags, in a sign of solidarity.
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Several → carry → solidarity
On Wednesday, de la Espriella’s government opened a Colombian embassy in Jerusalem, a controversial move as Israel and Palestine have both claimed parts of the city.
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Israel → open → city
Petro had been a staunch supporter of Palestine and had cut relations with Israel over its genocidal war against Gaza.
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Petro → cut → Gaza
But de la Espriella has moved to restore the severed ties since taking office.
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Espriella → move → office
That struck protesters like Jimena Rodriguez, a 20-year-old student, as an effort to ignore accusations of Israeli abuses against Palestinians.
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That → strike → Palestinians
Several noted that de la Espriella’s actions towards Israel mirrored Trump’s, who moved the US embassy to Jerusalem during his first term in 2018.
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who → note → 2018
President de la Espriella “just wants to hand the country over to the United States, to Israel,” Rodriguez said.
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Rodriguez → want → Israel
“I feel dark times are coming.”
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times → feel → ?
The Aporia
