Protests in Colombia

Colombian citizens have been protesting since April 28, 2021. Ivàn Duque (president of

Colombia), proposed a tax raise that would raise the state revenue by 6.3 billion dollars. The

average household income in Colombia has decreased ever since the pandemic began. Medical bills, water bills, and electricity bills have increased exponentially. This tax raise would raise the annual sales tax to 19%. Ivàn Duque claims that this will diminish the economic crisis. In reality, this will increase poverty rates and worsen the economic crisis. Protests were being held across every major city in Colombia. Eventually, Ivàn Duque announced that he would withdraw that bill. However, this didn’t stop

the protests.

Image Credit: Flavia Carpio

Protesters shifted their focus to advocacy from the bill to an upgrade on the healthcare system, education system, and security forces. As these protests are taking place, police officers are using excessive force to shut them down. They’re tear gassing, shooting, and starting fires in the middle of protests. Many protesters have gone missing and many are being killed. Internet and cellular services have been shut down by the government to prevent international aid.

What can we do?

Spread awareness and urge other nations to aid Colombians in crisis.

Sources:

https://www.google.com/search?q=whats+happening+in+colombia&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

&hl=en-sa&client=safari

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-56986821.amp

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/03/world/americas/colombia-protest-deaths.amp.html

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newsweek.com/internet-problems-colombia-protests-1

588991%3famp=1

https://netblocks.org/reports/internet-disrupted-in-colombia-amid-anti-government-protest

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