{"id":30860,"date":"2021-05-14T10:48:49","date_gmt":"2021-05-14T15:48:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cric-colombia.org\/portal\/?p=30860"},"modified":"2021-05-14T10:48:49","modified_gmt":"2021-05-14T15:48:49","slug":"indigenous-peoples-join-the-national-struggle-in-colombias-strike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cric-colombia.org\/portal\/indigenous-peoples-join-the-national-struggle-in-colombias-strike\/","title":{"rendered":"Indigenous peoples join the national struggle in Colombia’s strike"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Indigenous guard protects protestors by setting up humanitarian corridors<\/h2>\n

Since the first day of Colombia’s ongoing National Strike, Indigenous peoples have joined the struggle for justice, equality, and health, drawing on their historical experience of resisting discrimination and unfair treatment.\u00a0From the time of the arrival of the European conquerors in Latin America in 1492 and the birth of the Colombian Republic 200 years ago, Indigenous people have been challenging the governments that threaten their sovereignty and rights of self-determination, as recognized by the\u00a0United Nations<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Colombia’s National Strike was initially organized on\u00a0April 28, 2021, against the tax and health reform bills, but it evolved into a social movement prompting support from all over the country. Although the government withdrew the tax reform proposal, popular indignation\u00a0continued<\/a>\u00a0against poverty, corruption, and state-enforced violence.<\/p>\n

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Juan Orlando Moriano, Aw\u00e1\u00a0consejero.\u00a0<\/em>Photo taken by Willinton Rodr\u00edguez, used with permission.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Diana Jembuel, an Indigenous journalist from the Misak people, explained to Global Voices why her\u00a0people supported the strike:<\/p>\n

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Besides the refusal of the tax and health reform, there is another critical issue: the return of aerial spraying with glyphosate, which impacts crops, land, water resources, and people\u2019s health; in addition to the murder of indigenous leaders.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In April 2021, the Colombian government\u00a0allowed<\/a>\u00a0Monsanto’s glyphosate spraying on illicit coca fields after the herbicide had been banned since 2015 due to its potential carcinogenic effect. The European Parliament\u00a0stated<\/a>\u00a0that this measure will \u201cseriously affect ecosystems, biodiversity and community rights\u201d and that this \u201cdecision comes against the background of increasing violence against indigenous and Afro-Colombian populations and defenders.\u201d<\/p>\n

The statistics of violence are discouraging. Last year,\u00a0Indepaz<\/a>, the Institute of Studies for Peace and Development, reported 269 Indigenous leaders killed from 2016 until June 2020. This year, 20 of the\u00a060 social leaders<\/a>\u00a0assassinated belonged to Indigenous communities.<\/p>\n

Indigenous leaders are murdered, among other reasons, out of defending their ancestral land, which they call Mother Earth, from settlers\u00a0and opposing the presence of\u00a0multinational corporations<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0drug dealers<\/a>\u00a0on their territory who profit from natural resources.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

On May 12,\u00a0\u00a0Misak, Kokonuco, and other Indigenous peoples and Colombians\u00a0marched in Popay\u00e1n to the sound of music:<\/p>\n