Less than 24 hours after a racist and neo-liberal cabal ousted the indigenous, socialist, and democratically elected Bolivian President Evo Morales, several hundred people marched in protest in New York City. The Nov. 11 demonstration, called by Struggle for Socialism/La Lucha por el Socialismo, condemned the right-wing coup and stood in solidarity with the Bolivian working-class and indigenous population.
Chanting “Evo Si, Golpe No!”, “El Pueblo Unido, Jamás Será Vencido!” and “Yankee Empire out of Latin America,” they marched from the Bolivian Consulate Genera’s office to TrumpTower. Although the police did not allow access to the front of Trump Tower, the large contingent made its voice heard loud and clear in a rally just a few blocks away. Among the speakers was Joe Mendoza, a Bolivian-American member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, who advocated for Bolivia’s freedom from American colonialism and drew the important link between colonial intervention and capitalist exploitation both at home and abroad.
A Filipino-American speaker from BAYAN-USA connected the lessons that Filipino militants have learned in their struggle for liberation with the ongoing struggle in Bolivia. The importance of activists from other struggles speaking up for Bolivia drew attention to the interconnectedness of each and every struggle against imperialism.
And draw attention it did; while one side of the street was filled with demonstrators, the other half held curious onlookers. Although the demonstration took place in one of the city’s wealthiest business districts, protesters connected with many workers leaving at the end of the day and on evening and night shifts.
