Photo By: Criterio
Consumers of mass media often fall prey to the headline mindset. As one scrolls through social media the brightest, boldest, most succinct messages are the ones that truly get across. It is because of this that most headlines are a couple of big bold words. Media outlets want to deliver information, but they also know that the only way readers and viewers will internalize the information is by compressing it into the most important and eye-catching parts. Although this method has helped people all around the world stay informed about dramatic headlines and world occurrences, it has also erased the depth that many of these topics truly cover. Once a reader sees a headline they will digest it for a moment and then continue reading, often ignoring the explanations provided, the context, or even how the situation rolled out in the end. The Colombian protests are a relevant example of this scroll-and-forget dynamic viewers have created with news and media. During the start of the conflict on April 28th, news outlets published gory and dramatic images of protests. People reacted by reposting them on their own accounts, liking, commenting, and continuing to scroll. The headlines covering the issue lasted one or two days, most of them didn’t even mention why they started in the first place. Because of the need to capture attention only for a slight second, the media failed to cover the political instability that had been permeating the country months before the protests began. This leaves readers with an extremely one-sided and ignorant perception of global events, and can often lead to the stigmatization of countries and their people, especially third-world countries that have suffered greatly in the global eye like Colombia. Even though the coverage of the issue died down, it is important for consumers to remember that the images that are published are reflections of actual situations, of living breathing people fighting against oppression, and although it is easy to scroll past the headline, those people continue marching forward.
Colombia has not had a break since the outburst of protests. For weeks after the initial global coverage, violence continued rising. Especially in Cali, gang conflicts arose, indigenous people became involved in the cross fire, and the country was waiting tensely to see what president Ivan Duque’s next moves would be. As of now, the protests have died down, but although the marches themselves seem to have quieted, violence and instability have taken its place. What seem to be urban wars or attacks have become more and more common as frustrated citizens continue to express their discontent. Discontent, however, seems to be quite a superficial way to put it as said demonstrations have resulted in chaos in death. One of the most gruesome examples was the brutal murder of Camilo Velez Velasquez, a young civil engineer who became a victim of the bigger conflict. On June 6th, 2021, Velez Velasquez was riding his motorcycle through Bogota’s streets. He perceived that the route he as taking was crossed directly through a protest and therefore decided to cut through another street, a decision that would prove fatal. It was late at night, the only guiding light being the street lamps at either side of the road, and riding at full speed Velez Velasquez failed to see a thin wire set up by terrorizing trouble makers that spanned the length of the street. Velez Velasquez rammed into the seemingly invisible wire resulting in a fatal cut through his neck. Although Bogota’s mayor, Claudia Lopez says that the incident was not related to the protests wrecking havoc on the city, the wire was placed directly at the entrance of a street that would lead to a mass of protestors who were confronting the ESMAD, a group of anti-riot police created in 1999 by former president Andres Pastrana. Occurrences such as these show the level of discontent and frustration citizens are harboring, and how groups of people are taking advantage of these frustrations in order to generate chaos and terror. It is unlikely that the protesters themselves set up the wire, but amid the commotion of a protest, people interested in destabilizing institutions, generating violence, and asserting power had free reign to do so.
It is important to consider these acts of violence even if they are not directly related to the protests or the protest movement because, in the end, they are a result of the chaos. Many argue that the protests themselves were catalyzed by the opposition party leader Gustavo Petro in order to weaken Ivan Duque’s presidency to establish his own superiority. The final goal of these protests, especially those encouraged by opposition leaders, was to create enough chaos and disruption to lead to the impeachment of Ivan Duque, or at least lead to a significant lack of credibility and security in his administration. Because of this, the protests are just one part of the destabilization process. Now, the acts of urban warfare like what happened to Camilo Velez Velasquez, are the remnants of said need to create disruption. People have felt encouraged to disrupt and attack in order to voice their concerns, and this has been evident especially in Bogota. On June 28th, 2021 a public transportation bus was hijacked and robbed in southern Bogota. Men, women, and children on the bus were forced to stay inside the bus as the assailants changed their route, taking them to a place unknown. Thankfully, the police was able to stop the kidnapping and arrest those responsible, but this is not the only case of violence in public transportation following the chaos caused by the protests. On June 22, 2021 another public bus was also hijacked by a group of robbers who carried fire arms and snatched all personal belongings from the people on the bus. Once again, it is important to reiterate that these actions are independent from the protests, but they are a result of the acceptance of wreaking havoc as a way to express discontent. They are a result of the opposition’s need to create a tumultuous society so that they can eventually assume a position of power in the next elections. Although the protests began with frustrated citizens disagreeing with a proposed tax reform, they evolved into a political chess game to see how Duque would react to a crumbling nation.
The April 28th protests began after Ivan Duque proposed a tax reform that would expand the cohort of tax payers in order to subsidize government projects. People who had lost jobs during the pandemic, who were vulnerable to unemployment and hunger became visibly and understandably upset, thus initiating the protests. The reforms were eventually scrapped given the rising violence as a result of the proposal, especially in cities like Cali, but Ivan Duque recently announced that on July 20th, his administration would publish a new tax reform proposal. The goal of this reform is to stimulate the country’s economy and increase GDP by collecting around 15 billion COP. Many wonder how this will be any different from the tax reform that started the problem, but the government insists that said proposal will be created alongside various business associations and industries so that everyone’s voice is heard. Only the basics of the reform have been introduced given that the full extent will be revealed on July 20th, but according to Portfolio magazine the proposal will include “more taxes for people with the highest incomes, an austerity plan for public spending, reduction of tax evasion and avoidance and sale of assets of the Nation.” This movement, however, has not come without its backlash. Since June 25th the National Protest Committee has announced that they will hold a new round of protests nationwide on July 20th, the same day the tax reform is said to be announced.
On the other hand, the Inter-American Commissionn of Human Rights has recently published a report saying that the Colombian government and police force used “excessive and disproportionate” force while responding to the protests. Amongst the claims expressed in the publication, the Human Rights group said that the police abused their power and culminated in human rights violations including the unnecessary use of fire arms, gender based violence, and sexual abuse. The report came to the conclusion that around 34 people had been killed during the protests, and urged the Colombian government to investigate the claims presented in the report. Amongst the 41 recommendations presented by the IACHR, they said a prudent move in the right direction was to separate the Colombian police from the military. Duque said that he would take steps to train police officers and increase disciplinary standards as a method of police reforms, but he was clear when announcing that the police would remain linked to the military given that “Practically, since the second government of Alberto Lleras Camargo, Colombia has maintained that structure in a stable manner.” He also stated that although the Human Rights group report was not binding, he would take its recommendations into account. His response to the report culminated in a statement which read, "We have been a country that respects peaceful protest, as an expression of citizenship, but acts of vandalism, low intensity urban terrorism, blockades that violate the rights of citizens are being confronted with the Constitution and the law" In this phrase, he confirms that use of force was employed given that the state has a zero-tolerance policy for what is defined as “urban terrorism” but also attempts to show solidarity with peaceful protests. It is difficult to decode messages and statements such as these because they encompass strategy, logos, and political chess that are often surreptitious and cryptic, but what is clear is that Duque stands by his actions, a perspective that is not quite popular given the country’s situation.
It is evident that the protests have not stopped, that the discontent is still rampant, and that although mass media outlets have long abandoned the headline, the people of Colombia are still in a precarious situation awaiting decisions, movements, and reforms. It is vital to continue giving importance to topics such as these, considering and analyzing their depth beyond the colorful headlines. Only in this way will society be able to fully understand and empathize with the struggles of a nation which go deeper than the apparent social media scroll that has become the main source of information for thousands of people across the globe.
Written By: Carolina Mejia Rodriguez
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