Monday, July 19, 2010

Bogota's Bicentennial Protests

Guambianos in San Victorino Plaza
A Chiva bus in San Victorino

Just in time for Colombia's Bicentennial celebration, thousands of indigenous people and peasants have invaded Bogotá, demanding social justice and support from the government.

Indigenous people comprise just a few percent of the country's population, but are among Colombia's poorest and those who suffer the most from the country's armed conflict.

The Guambianos, who live near the town of Sylvia in Cauca Department, filled San Victorino Plaza. Thousands more campesinos packed the Parque Nacional and marched down Seventh Ave. Their rhetoric denounced

Police watch protesting peasants in the National Park
Displaced people march down Seventh Ave. 

Blogged by Mike Ceaser, of Bogota Bike Tours







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