Top Colombian officials called for a thorough investigation in the wake of a cabdriver’s death by the police last week that was caught, in part, on video, which included the man pleading for his life.
Javier Ordóñez, who was arrested in violation of a COVID-19 rule for consuming alcohol and not following social distancing guidelines, died after two police officers pinned him down and repeatedly fired stun guns into him. At one point, Ordóñez could be heard pleading with the police, “Please, no more.”
A vigil held for Mr. Ordóñez last Wednesday started peacefully, but it reportedly went out of control when police intervened. Dozens of the protestors threw rocks as police confronted them with tear gas and in some instances fired bullets. Dozens of buses and a number of police stations were set on fire.
By the end of the confrontation, at least eight protesters were killed and over 200 were injured, over 60 of which were the result of bullet wounds. Nearly 200 police officers were also reported injured.
Graphic pictures emerged from the scene, including one that depicted a riot police officer in flames after being hit by some kind of a petrol bomb in the city of Medellín.
The Guardian reported it was not clear how the other protesters died. Claudia López, Bogotá’s mayor, took to Twitter on Friday to say that police were told not to open fire on protesters and they “disobeyed direct instructions.”
The paper spoke with a political risk analyst from the city who said there seems to be confusion about who is in control of the police department, which does not “bode well for restoring public safety or trust in the police.”
Mafe Carrascal, an activist, told the Guardian that the protests are a result of the “systemic abuse of power” across the board within the government. He said, “People are sick of the fact that if the Covid-19 doesn’t kill them, the government will.”
TREND FORECAST: As reported extensively in the Trends Journal, last year, Columbia, along with other Latin American countries including Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Chile, saw major protests as tens of millions demonstrated against government corruption, crime, violence, and lack of basic living standards. The Guardian labeled the months-long demonstrations as a “howl of rage.”
This “rage,” as with the rages in Lebanon, France, South Africa, India, Algeria, Hong Kong, etc., were instantly tamped down in 2020 as governments ordered strong lockdowns to fight the COVID War.
As economies sink deeper into the “Greatest Depression,” protests, riots, demonstrations, and civil wars will erupt throughout the world, escalating the refugee crisis, which, in turn, will strengthen populist movements in nations where war-weary and desperate people seek to enter.
TREND FORECAST: As reported extensively in the Trends Journal, last year, Columbia, along with other Latin American countries including Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Chile, saw major protests as tens of millions demonstrated against government corruption, crime, violence, and lack of basic living standards. The Guardian labeled the months-long demonstrations as a “howl of rage.”
This “rage,” as with the rages in Lebanon, France, South Africa, India, Algeria, Hong Kong, etc., were instantly tamped down in 2020 as governments ordered strong lockdowns to fight the COVID War.
As economies sink deeper into the “Greatest Depression,” protests, riots, demonstrations, and civil wars will erupt throughout the world, escalating the refugee crisis, which, in turn, will strengthen populist movements in nations where war-weary and desperate people seek to enter.