Show your support for the Agrarian Strike in Colombia!

international | anti-capitalism | event notice Monday September 09, 2013 15:50 by Latin American Solidarity Centre (LASC) - Latin American Solidarity Centre (LASC) events at lasc dot ie 5 Merrion Row, Dublin 2, Ireland

Demonstration at EU House

Peasants in Colombia deserve respect and dignity. To show them our support we will meet in front of the EU House (18 Dawson Street, Dublin 2), Friday 13th September, at 17:30.

Bring a ruana, a Colombian bag, a sombrero vueltiao if you have, or a positive message of solidarity with the farmers to show them that they are not alone.

Colombia National Strike

Since 19th August last, hundreds of thousands of Colombian peasants and small farmers have been mobilising to demand change in the country's agrarian policy. Colombia has all the resources necessary to produce enough food for its population and achieve food sovereignty. Yet, the Colombian government's rush to sign free trade agreements with the US, South Korea and the EU are ruining the countryside, where 34% of the population still lives. Cheap, heavily-subsidised imports, largely from the US are ruining local producers who cannot compete against the low prices. They also often lack even the most basic infrastructure to take their products to the local market.

The demand of those on strike - agrarian organisations, miners, transport workers, students, teachers, health workers and other sectors - is that the Colombian government stop running the country for the benefit of the national and transnational elites. More precisely they demand an agrarian policy designed to feed the people of Colombia; social investment in infrastructure and services for the benefit of local communities; a review of the destructive mining-extractive policy; a review of the Free Trade Agreements which were signed without a proper assessment of their impact to ordinary public; and an end to the militarisation of the countryside.

For years the peasants warned us of the negative impact of these free trade policies; for years they got promises from government officers which were never kept. Finally, tired of not being listened to, of being lied to and abused, they said enough. Their demands and peaceful mobilisation have been met with unspeakable violence from the government who has responded to the demonstration of unarmed protestors by mobilising thousands of police and army.

We repudiate this violence. We demand justice for those murdered, injured, incarcerated and maimed. We support the demands of the Agrarian Strike. We reject the arrogance of those in power and call for a national negotiation as the way out of this crisis.

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