Colombia
is the most dangerous place in the world to be
a trade union leader or activist. The number of
trade unionists killed in Colombia over recent
years is sickening. In 2001, 184 were assassinated
and already this year the ferocity of the assaults
has intensified.
Broader
attacks on trade union rights and freedoms are
equally commonplace; this does not stop the brave
men and women of Colombia struggling for basic
employment and human rights that we take for granted
in Europe.
Last
month saw the Colombian Presidential Elections;
some 54 percent of the 24 million registered voters
stayed at home. Colombia’s new President
Alvaro Uribe Velez is the darling of the death
squads. Son of a prominent mafia boss, Uribe Velez
won a decisive first round victory.
The
high abstention rates left Velez with just 5.8
million votes - 24 percent of eligible voter preferences.
Uribe
plans to increase military spending, double the
number of troops, and create an armed militia
of one million citizens.
This
will most likely led to the murder of thousands
of the indigenous people, and is going to prolong
the armed confrontation even longer and place
the country at the edge of civil war.
Colombian
Solidarity Campaign are calling for a day of action
on the 3rd July out side the American Counsel
in Queen Street titled independence for Latin
America from the USA and are inviting all NGOs
and Globalise Resistance to attend the protest
at 12.noon.
The
author works with the Colombian Solidarity Campaign
