As the world recognized Dec. 10 as International Human Rights Day, no one in the corporate media took the occasion to point the finger at one of the world’s greatest violators: the U.S.-backed government of Alvaro Uribe. Dozens of activists responded to this challenge, and took to the streets in New York City’s predominantly Colombian neighborhood of Jackson Heights.
Protesters from the new coalition Minga NY made up of primarily young Colombian and Latin American activists braved the rain and freezing cold to denounce the Colombian government’s war on progressive, trade union, social justice, Indigenous and Afro-Colombian activists. The march’s militant chants included “Uribe fascista, gusano imperialista” (Uribe: facist, imperialist worm) and “Se ve, se siente, la minga esta presente” (It’s seen, it’s felt: the unity of the Indigenous peoples is here.)
Many local residents joined the march along the way, while onlookers and store owners stood in amazement as protesters carried signs “Apoya la lucha Indigena” (Support the Indigenous struggle) and “No se puede asisinar la revolucion” (The revolution cannot be assassinated.)
The march ended with a reception at La Terraza cafe. It was hosted by Minga-NY, a coalition of different progressive organizations including: Momentos, Comuneros, ANSWER Coalition and the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
The program included statements in solidarity with the Colombian indigenous and Afro-Colombian struggles. Other talks focused on the thousands of union leaders killed in the hands of paramilitary death squads hired by transnational companies like Chiquita.
“It’s time for the Colombian government to acknowledge the armed-conflict in Colombia, and not label it as terrorism,” Leonardo Realez, a well-known Afro-Colombian political storyteller, told Liberation.
