In November 2016, the government of conservative Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos formally made peace with the Marxist guerrilla FARC-EP, which had been campaigning for almost half a century against the intolerable exploitation and disfranchisement of agricultural workers in Colombia. During the course of the armed conflict, the Colombian oligarchy, with the help of the USA, formed neo-fascist paramilitary groups, initially known as Convivir, later AUC and now known as Aguilas Negras, Autodefensas Gaitanistas and others. These groups, which are closely linked to rural landowners, multinational corporations, narco-cartels and the conservative right in the country, committed at least 60% of civilians’ massacres in armed conflict, according to statistics from human rights organizations. The preferred target of these death squads were always left-wing trade union and human rights activists.
The problem has not been solved even after the arms were handed over by the FARC-EP in July this year. In the past year alone, 127 activists have been murdered according to UN data. At least 50 of our Colombian comrades are said to have been purposefully murdered this year.
With the T-Shirt campaign we want to draw attention to the problem and the struggle of our comrades in Colombia against the paramilitary neo-fascism. Solidarity with the progressive democratic struggles in Colombia – For peace and social justice!
More Info: RASH Bogota | Marcha Patriotica | re:volt magazine
This post is also available in: Deutsch