Colobian Counsulate Die-In, San Francisco

Activists gathered around the Colombian consulate in San Francisco on the morning of October 30th, the day of a National General Strike in Colombia (see below for press statement). The protesters were there to demand an end to U.S. military, economic and political intervention in Colombia, and to stand in solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of protesters taking the to the streets across Colombia on that day. While around 30-50 protesters rallied and chanted with signs and banners, handing out informational flyers to passers-by, four activists from the Committee for a New Colombia held a die-in, blocking both entrances to the building. Their shirts read “U.S. Tax $ at work in Colombia” “Colombian unionist assassinated by paramilitaries” and “Colombian student killed by paramilitaries” as they lay in pools of (fake) blood with stoned, chilling stares and cardboard “U.S. Guns” pointed at them. The only way to enter the building was to step over them. They maintained this position for over an hour before the police arrived.
When the four activists refused to remove themselves, demanding that the U.S. stop its major support of Colombia’s death squad democracy, they were all arrested and charged with vandalism and interfering with business. They were held for less than an hour and released in the late morning, with pending court dates.
Committee for a New Colombia press statement:
Colombia solidarity activists organize National Day of Action
and local Non-violent Civil Disobedience on
Day of Colombian National General Strike
While the Bush administration escalates the war on Iraq, they continue to intervene politically, economically and militarily in the situation in Latin America. While the situation in Iraq deserves as much if not more attention than it is currently receiving in the media, we intend to keep the public aware of the dirty war being waged on the Colombian people by the Colombian government and the Bush administration, hand in hand.
Colombian trade unions, community organizations and human rights organizations have called for a National General Strike on Wednesday, October 30, 2002. The strike has been called to protest the new repressive labor laws, the changes to the Colombian constitution and the increasing militarization and repression in the country since President Uribe took office in July. The government is increasing the size of the military and U.S. military intervention has escalated, as has its open political intervention in the internal affairs of Colombia. On September 16th, only one month after Alvaro Uribe Velez was inaugurated, workers, campesinos and youth organized a civic strike. Over 800,000 people across the country blocked roads, marched, and took over government offices in the face of severe repression. The organizers of the General Strike expect the repression to be even more severe on October 30th.
Activists across the US are standing in solidarity with the Colombian people with two demands: that the Colombian government respect the people’s democratic right to protest, and that the U.S. government immediately end its political, military and economic support for the corrupt Colombian government.
Committee for a New Colombia
2489 Mission Street, Suite 24
San Francisco, CA 94110
http://www.nuevacolombia.org
(415) 821-6545
cnc_sf [at] yahoo.com