Violence in Bogotá: strong clashes between indigenous people and the police leave at least 24 injured

A protest in downtown Bogota of Embera indigenous people displaced by the conflict, who demand attention and an improvement in their living conditions, ended this Wednesday with strong disturbances with the Police and a balance of 24 injured, 11 of them policemen.

“Today we live a day of unjustified violence in the center of Bogotá by several representatives of the Embera community who are based in temporary accommodation in La Rioja”explained the secretary of the Government of Bogotá, Felipe Jiménez.

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The Mayor’s Office of the Colombian capital assured that since the morning they established a dialogue table to listen to their claims and “quickly solve” the problem presented, but The Embera community continued the protests, “and blocked the entrance and exit of various buildings in the city.”

Embera indigenous people protest for non-compliance with the agreements by the national and district governments, denouncing inhumane conditions in La Rioja, a shelter where they have been staying for 6 months. They haven’t had water for a month, they haven’t even received food. Esmad fired tear gas at them. pic.twitter.com/Y4EXtuf9OB

– William Parra (@William_Garra) October 19, 2022

Human rights organizations denounced that the Police and the Mobile Riot Squad (Esmad) came to the front of Building of Aviancaright in the center, when there were pregnant women, girls and boys who were demonstrating peacefully for food and decent housing with electricity and water.

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This caused several injuries, while Some groups of protesters began to attack the policemen with stones and even attacked one of them with sticks, who was left lying on the ground.according to local media reports.

These already know that later they “pardon” them with the story of the protest. Here they see them judiciously beating the police… pure anarchy and vandalism…. Occurs in Bogotá, Avianca building taken over by indigenous people. ESMAD had to intervene. pic.twitter.com/LQEqcvGTdf

— Vicky Davila (@VickyDavilaH) October 19, 2022

The Mayor’s Office assured that the police intervened to “recover the area”but in the clashes seven coexistence managers, another five people, 11 police officers and a member of the legal representative were injured “as a result of unjustified violence.”

???? #SOS Indigenous people brutally beat a policeman in the center of Bogotá.

Where is the authority that contains the violence of these people? @PoliceColombia pic.twitter.com/3IEXm275c0

– María Fernanda Cabal (@MariaFdaCabal) October 19, 2022

“The police are making progress in capturing and prosecuting each and every one of those responsible.”, assured Jiménez, who added that there are already two detainees.

NO SOLUTION FOR THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Half a year ago, more than a thousand indigenous people who had been camped for months in the central Bogotá National Park agreed to relocate, but the authorities did not give them a solution for the health, housing and education problems they found in this new destination.

For this reason, and in the face of countless calls for attention, some of these indigenous people, who are displaced from other areas of Colombia due to the conflict, they went out today to protest in the center of the city.

“We are vulnerable victims, we have no subsidies, we have nothing,” said Rosmira Campo, an Embera indigenous leader displaced from the department of Risaralda.

Entire families, with small children and pregnant women, remained in the park for eight months, living among makeshift tents and stalls, in inhumane conditions, where Bogotá’s untimely weather caused outbreaks of disease and there were more than one deaths due to being run over in nearby streets and two children who died of cardiorespiratory problems.

After that time, the Government of Bogota He offered them a relocation to the neighborhood of La Rioja and other suburbs, where they denounced overcrowding, lack of access to drinking water and electricity, as well as other unsanitary conditions.

Source: Elcomercio

Ronald Payne

I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.