On November 21, 2019, Colombia became the latest country in Latin America to take to the streets. Following protests in Chile, Bolivia and Ecuador, unrest in Brazil and Argentina, and ongoing if sporadic demonstrations in Venezuela, Colombians found their public protest voice. Once the protests began, they continued for 7 straight days before there was a pause. There were daily protests in all areas of the country, including the major cities of Bogot\u00e1, Medellin, Cali, Barranquilla and Bucaramanga.<\/p>\n
The demonstrations in Colombia have been in general peaceful, which is not to say that there haven\u2019t been outbreaks of violence, intense confrontations between the police and protesters, destruction of public property and at times looting. Cali and Bogot\u00e1 have both had curfews, a first in living memory for many.<\/p>\n
The marches have attracted hundreds of thousands, but many many hundreds of thousands more have participated in the so-called caserolazos,<\/em> the banging of pots and pans along the sidewalks and from the windows of buildings from one end of the city to another. The cacophony of sound in unsettling and sends a clear signal of the widespread sense of dissatisfaction that exists across the country. The protests across Latin American have tapped into a nerve of discontent that is undeniable. The status quo of inequality and corruption has finally run its course, protesters are saying.<\/p>\n The general stoppage on November 21 was originally organized by student, union and indigenous groups. Demonstrators rallied for more money for education, for better health-care and against a proposed rise in the pension age, a plan that President Duque denies. Protesters want more job opportunities, and the clamor to weed out corruption in government has been impossible to ignore. Protesters are also demanding that the government take action to stop the murders of Colombian social leaders; according to INDEPAZ, an NGO based in Bogot\u00e1, the number of social leaders murdered in the country as of April this year was a staggering 837. And the assassinations did not stop in April.<\/p>\n Many protesters are angry at Duque\u2019s slow and unenthusiastic implementation of the 2016 peace deal negotiated with the FARC by his predecessor, President Santos. In essence, the protests have become an indictment of Duque\u2019s rightist government\u2019s short reign in power; he took office on Aug 7, 2018. In recent polls, Duque\u2019s approval ratings have continued to decline; only 26% of those polled approve of his presidency. The latest Gallup poll released on Dec. 4 ,shows that the number who now disapprove of his presidency is at 70%, an all-time low.<\/p>\n