Camacho's terrorist gangs while burning the Peasants' Union headquarters during the Santa Cruz civic lock-down, Friday November 11, 2022. Photo: APG.
This Sunday, November 13, the leadership of the Single Trade Union Federation of Campesinos of Santa Cruz described the burning down of its headquarters in the capital of Santa Cruz, which occurred on Friday, as an act of terrorism. It was denounced at a national and international level, in order for those responsible to be punished.
“It was a criminal attack that they launched on our federation, we denounced this act of terrorism at the national and international level,” said Franklin Vargas, the organization’s top leader, in an interview with Bolivian state media.
Vargas recalled how the violent events occurred at the headquarters when 60 to 70 people were inside.
According to the Bolivian Information Agency, he reported that: “For about five hours we were attacked by paid bandits, who we suppose were brought by governor Luis Fernando Camacho and the Civic Committee. Then the police came to protect us, although I think they could not withstand the attacks; there were about 2,000 people who attacked with dynamite and firecrackers.”
Luis Fernando Camacho was an active promoter of the coup d’etat against Evo Morales in 2019 and a key figure in Jeanine Anez’s dictatorship, but for some reason the Bolivian judicial system has not put him in prison and has let him run rogue, destabilizing the country and trying to replicate the 2019 coup d’etat now in 2022.
Among the people who were inside the headquarters were children and older adults who were lucky to be evacuated, Vargas said, and later the violent groups entered, looted and burned the facilities.
He also warned that: “Our bases are extremely upset by these acts. We are the victims, but we have not yet responded. From now on, anything that happens in Santa Cruz will be the responsibility of the governor and the Civic Committee; if they take action we can also mobilize ourselves.”
He added that the federation is attentive to the resolutions coming from other social organizations and they are ready to join in on any measures taken in the face of the persistent violence promoted by Luis Fernando Camacho. In the meantime, it is expected that local authorities will carry out the necessary investigations so that justice is served for the terrorist attacks.
“There is a lot of evidence for those responsible to be punished,” Vargas said.
He argued that, since they have a date for the census, it is time for activities in Santa Cruz to be normalized and for the civic lockdown to be lifted, so that the humble and poor sectors of society are allowed to work.
The burning of the campesinos’ headquarters was reported after a union march against the civic lockdown took place, due to the damage it represents to them, and the presence of members from the far-right Cruceñista Youth Union (UCJ) was denounced. With the participation of the police, they unleashed violence and confused confrontations.
Violence returns to Santa Cruz, clashes recorded in Plan 3000
In the La Campana sector of Plan 3000, in the early hours of this past Sunday, on the 23rd day of the civic lockdown, harsh clashes were reported again between those who reject the lockdown, those who support it and the police.
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According to reports from the right-wing television station Red Gigavisión, the events began around 1:00AM and lasted until about 5:00AM.
In the videos on the television network, there is an indiscriminate use of fireworks and firecrackers very close to homes, many of them even reaching the interior of some houses. The atmosphere was made even more chaotic with the police firing tear gas.
In other videos, the movement of police officers, patrol cars and motorcycles of the police institution is observed. Police were trying to prevent the two groups from clashing by using chemical agents, one of the reports said.
According to other reports, some clashes began on Saturday night when two town halls were scheduled to take place, one on La Campana Avenue with residents of Plan 3000 who reject the civic lockdown and the other just a few blocks away, by the sector supporting the lockdown.
In the first brawls, the destruction of a police station and an injured officer were reported. Bolivia TV informed on Sunday morning that commercial movement and vehicular traffic in Plan 3000 had been fully normalized.
Camacho supporters destroy a police station and leave an officer injured
In another night of confrontations in the city of Santa Cruz, the avenues Tres Pasos al Frente and Tercer Anillo, and the Estación Argentina neighborhood were converted into scenes of violence by groups of Camacho’s militas, Unión Juvenil Cruceñista (UJC), against the Bolivian police, who tried to protect both places.
As a result of the clashes, an officer was hit in the face by a stone and a police station was completely destroyed.
In an act of provocation, the violent groups moved in vans and motorcycles, armed with sticks and stones, towards Plan 3000, to hold a town hall, after which violence broke out since that area is inhabited by people who do not agree with the lockdown.
The police guard had been reinforced after threats from violent groups connected to Governor Fernando Camacho. They threatened to “take over” the Andrés Ibáñez citadel.
(Últimas Noticias) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/DD
