Colombian President Gustavo Petro walking through the mass demonstrations in Bogotá supporting his government, Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Photo: Twitter/@infopresidencia.
President Gustavo Petro joining the mass mobilization: “This time, I will not be on the balcony. I will march alongside the people.”
With the simple motto, “You have to jump, you have to jump, so that labor reform is approved!” that the people shout in the streets of Colombia, mass marches advance in support of President Gustavo Petro and his government program looking to bring justice to Colombians afflicted for decades by civil war and oligarchy rule.
The marches for the “taking of Bogotá in defense of social reforms,” that occurred this Wednesday, June 7, is—according to social media trending topics—for the purposes of labor reforms, social change, and against the soft coup that President Petro has denounced in recent weeks being prepared by the Colombian elite and right-wing forces against him.
The march was called for by Colombian social leaders and trade union organizations in support of the government’s social reforms, and against destabilization attempts by sectors of the right-wing opposition and the elite.
Representatives of trade unions, labor and peasant unions, social political organizations, politicians, and civilian citizens took to the streets defending the reforms and the government that was elected democratically almost one year ago.
Nutrida movilización en Bogotá en respaldo al gobierno de Gustavo Petro, sus reformas sociales y encontrá de los intentos de desestabilización por parte de sectores de la derecha en Colombia.@ConexiontlSUR pic.twitter.com/0Ytgwrhj3q
— Hernán Tobar (@TobarteleSUR) June 7, 2023
On social media platforms, users bring notice to the massive demonstrations across different Colombian cities, such as Bogotá, Barranquilla, Medellín, Santa Marta, and Cali, in addition to expressing their support for the president in the face of recent scandals involving two former high-level officials that are being used by local news outlets and right-wing politicians to torpedo his management.
President Petro joined the marches alongside the people, defending the reforms related to healthcare, labor, and pensions, which are currently stalled in Congress by conservative factors. Through these marches, the protesters seek to express their support and push for the reforms to move forward.
#ENVIVO Presidente Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) en las calles de Bogotá participando en las marchas en defensa de las reformas y el proyecto del cambio. https://t.co/1lZPiw1lwZ
— Andrés Hernández R. (@AndresCamiloHR) June 7, 2023
“The people who elected the president are still with the president,” the Colombian president stated during his message to the marchers, highlighting the importance of this mass mobilization.
“There are people who have not yet read what the popular decision at the polling stations last year, meaning, they believe that it was simply a fad, a passing fever, a delirium that has already passed and that left a president abandoned in his presidential palace,” added Petro. “Well, today, today we say it clearly, that it is not like that.”
He stated that the people will take to the streets to defend democracy if there is a “soft coup” against him, in the midst of the biggest crisis that their government has had during ten months in office.
“Petro is not alone. If [the conservatives] dare to violate the popular will, the people of Colombia will come out,” the president said, “to defend [the popular mandate] with their clean, happy hands and without violence,” making a speech before thousands of people in Bogotá during one of the demonstrations in support of his government’s reforms.
Mientras el presidente Gustavo Petro en tarima agradecia la nutrida movilización que se desarrolló en más de 200 municipios en toda Colombia, aseguro que el congreso no puede desconocer las exigencias de un pueblo que reclama cambios profundos. pic.twitter.com/wgiDORDyOb
— Hernán Tobar (@TobarteleSUR) June 7, 2023
The president has spoken this week of a “soft coup” to refer to the scandal in his government, as a result of the revelations of his former ambassador to Caracas, Armando Benedetti, regarding alleged irregularities in the financing of his electoral campaign.
“They took out these lies because there is a strategy that we must understand and confront,” Petro added. “They want to destroy the popular support of the government to have a single government, they want to isolate the Petro government from its people, they want to build mistrust in our popular base.”
(Telesur)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/AU
