Marching against para-politics and violence in Bogotá

Colombian university students marched through downtown Bogotá yesterday. They were protesting against the current status quo of paramilitary violence and impunity, apparently with police complicity. According to this article in Aporrea, “spokespersons from the local headquarters of youth organizations of the Bosa district denounced that more than 20 young people were assassinated by armed thugs on motorcycles, distributing flyers threatening ‘social cleansing’ of supposed prostitutes, drug addicts, unemployed persons, criminals, etc. They said that communities call the police and officers show up two or three hours later, without any results against these delinquents and murderers.” It goes on to say that “the youths suspect that behind these pamphlets lie elements of official organisms, since it is impossible that one or two persons alone have the capacity to distribute leaflets in almost half the country without being detained.” (Translations mine.)

Hmmm, smells like El NarcoPresidente is behind this, no?

But of course, we don’t need to pay any of that no mind. After all, Colombia is the Bestest Democracy Ever. And of course that little paraco, Alvaro Uribe, is just a cuddly teddy bear, right?