Thousands of Colombians protest in Madrid against the government of Iván Duque

To the cry of “SOS Colombia”, the Colombian community in Madrid He demonstrated today to denounce the situation in the country as a result of the national strike against the tax reform of the government of Ivan Duque and the police repression of protests that have already left at least 24 dead

Nelson Restrejo, spokesman for the Coordinadora de Colectivos de Colombianos y Colombianas en Madrid, the organizing body of the concentration, described in statements to EFE as “overflowing”The number of people who attended the demonstration, estimating the influx of more than five thousand attendees, despite the fact that police sources estimate the attendance at 2,500 demonstrators.

Restrejo explained that they have been organizing protests in front of the Colombian Consulate in Madrid, since the protests against the tax reform began on April 28 to denounce “the military and police actions due to the days of national strike that are being held in the country.”

“This is a response organized by Colombians in solidarity, in support of our country, because we do not want our compatriots to back down” and they do not accept the reforms proposed by the Government of President Ivan Duque.

INDIGNATION AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE

Thousands of protesters with flags and T-shirts of the Colombian soccer team crowded around the historic Retiro Park, in the center of Madrid, shouting “Uribe, paraco, el pueblo está berraco” and “Duque, fascista , terrorist government ”.

“We are here as Colombians in support of our country for all the atrocities and violations of our rights. Young people are being murdered. They are the future of the country, they are the ones who are demanding their justice “María Luisa, who sold Colombian flags, told EFE.

“In my 27 years I have grown up with wars, but I have never seen the State go against the people to bring out the military and take out tanks,” said a young woman who came to EFE with other friends.

“In Colombia the lower classes and especially the young people do not have a future. Colombia has an average of 15 generations to get out of poverty. The government does not want young people to demonstrate because it knows that we are not afraid of them and that is why it decides to kill them ”, declared another of them.

People gather during a protest against the violence that is happening in Colombia against the tax reform in Madrid, Spain. (Photo: Globe Live Media / Manu Fernandez) (Manu Fernandez /)

These days of denunciation of the situation that Colombia is going through were convened in 66 countries. In Spain, protests were not only called in Madrid, but also in other important cities in the country such as Barcelona, ​​Seville, Valencia or Bilbao.

For Saturday there is called a demonstration that will tour the Spanish capital to the nerve center of Puerta del Sol, because, says Restrejo, “Until the Colombian government falls we will not stop.”

The protests began on April 28 against the tax reform announced by the Duque government, which included a public health reform, which would benefit private health.

Since then, the police and the army began a strong repression against the protests, which caused an escalation of violence, which so far has left 11 dead according to the Prosecutor’s Office, although social organizations raise that figure to 37.