In response to an unfolding attack against the democratically elected
government in Ecuador, demonstrators gathered on Sept. 30 outside the Ecuadoran
embassy in Washington, D.C. Rallies and
press conferences were also held in San Francisco, Los Angele, Chicago, Miami
and other cities.
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A committed group of activists assembled to defend the progressive, democratically-elected government of Rafael
Correa. They formed a picket line and chanted, “No Coup in Ecuador! Yes to Democracy!”
Participants included members of the School of the Americas Watch, the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism)
and the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Russia Today, Telesur and Reuters
covered the demonstration.
As the rally came to a close, the Ecuadoran embassy graciously opened its
doors to the demonstrators. The ambassador thanked them for their solidarity
and kept an ANSWER Coalition picket sign as a memento of the occasion.
The anti-Correa forces in Ecuador were led by police who were protesting a
law that will cut their pension benefits, and included some units of the
military and other right-wing forces. The actions were no peaceful protest.
Members of the police and military shut down airports, blocked highways and violently
clashed with Correa supporters.
Correa was physically attacked and tear gassed while trying to address the police
protest and taken to a hospital that was quickly surrounded. From the hospital,
Correa announced a coup attempt was under way. Correa supporters, including the
military command, also turned out in large numbers and clashed with police,
defending the government and denouncing the right-wing provocations.
Latin American governments quickly extended their support to Correa’s government.
The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) issued a statement to “energetically
condemn the attempted coup.”
By the following day, it appeared that the right-wing effort had been pushed
back. Army units loyal to the government managed to rescue Correa from the
besieged hospital after a confrontation with police. Gen. Freddy Martinez, the
chief of the national police, presented his resignation on Oct. 1, according to
the Associated Press.
Correa’s government has moved Ecuador to the left despite resistance from
the country’s right wing, and defended the country’s sovereignty against U.S.-led
imperialism. Under Correa, Ecuador has built strong ties with Venezuela and
Cuba—the two countries that have led the shift to the left in Latin America. Correa
brought Ecuador into the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas, which offers an
alternative to the free trade agreements peddled by U.S. imperialism by
integrating development goals and social programs with trade initiatives.
Much to the ire of U.S.-led imperialism, Correa refused to renew the lease
of U.S. military bases in Ecuador three years ago, defiantly stating that he
would allow U.S. bases in his country when the United States allowed Ecuadoran military
bases inside the United States.
Though U.S. officials may officially want to distance themselves from the attack
on the Ecuadoran government, Washington would only stand to win if the Correa
government were to fall. Only a year ago, a right-wing coup took place in
Honduras, reviving the specter of U.S.-supported coups that swept Latin America
in the 60s and 70s. The United States has struggled to convince Latin American government
to recognize the illegitimate coup government in Honduras.
With that potential in mind, all socialist and progressive forces in the
United States must maintain vigilance and readiness to quickly intervene in
response to the right-wing backlash in Latin America. No coup in Ecuador! Hands
off Latin America!
