A-Infos (en) Colombia, Via Libre: International Day of Working Women - Balance of the mobilizations of March 8, 2024 (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

Last Friday, March 8, 2024, thousands of people participated in the 
multiple street mobilizations called for the commemoration of the 
International Day of Working Women. This meeting had a wide reception 
and people from different parts of the country came together, the places 
with the greatest participation being cities like Bogotá, Medellín and 
Cali. Once again and as in previous years, women and gender dissidents 
in the country expressed their rejection of patriarchal domination in 
its multiple expressions and to demand and demand decent working 
conditions as a highly precarious population. This year's purple 
movement was also an opportunity for hundreds of people to extend their 
solidarity with the Palestinian people, who are currently victims of 
genocide. The reason for their support is clear: to defend the lives of 
women and the oppressed wherever they are.

In Medellín, the main march took place at 2 in the afternoon in the 
Parque de las Luces, La Alpujarra sector in the center of the city, and 
was attended by around 5,000 people according to the mayor's office. On 
the other hand, in Cali the 8M march left the Plazoleta Jairo Varela at 
2 in the afternoon towards the Parque de las Banderas, in the west of 
the city. Hundreds of people participated in this event, as did the 
demonstrations in cities such as Barranquilla and Bucaramanga.

In Bogotá, the date was commemorated in at least 3 different events, 2 
mobilizations on March 8 in the evening and a march on March 9 in the 
south of the city. The event with the greatest participation was the 
march organized by the Somos Un Rostro Colectivo platform, which started 
at 5 in the afternoon towards the Plaza de Bolívar after carrying out a 
series of pedagogical activities at the Ministry of Labor located in the 
center-east of the city. After leaving on Carrera 7 and Calle 32, the 
mobilization continued its route through Carrera 13 and Carrera 10, up 
Calle 19 and advanced along Carrera 6 to the final meeting point. Dozens 
of officers from the "anti-riot" policy formerly called ESMAD (now UNDMO 
- Dialogue and Maintenance of Order Unit) would be waiting for her 
there, located on 11th Street at the northeast entrance of the square.

The call in question initially had the participation of at least 6,000 
people, mostly women, adolescents and girls, who were later joined by 
around 3,000 more people. For around two hours, the protagonists of the 
commemoration marched with slogans, harangues, batucadas, music, posters 
and parades alluding to the sexist violence they suffer and the 
importance of the gathering for the defense of life. From the Vía Libre 
Libertarian Group we participate in this call, highlighting the 
importance of resistance to the reactionary and counter-reform measures 
proposed or enacted by the right and extreme right both in Colombia and 
in other parts of the region.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that the day of mobilization was 
peaceful and its development was calm and free of conflict, around 7:08 
p.m. the ESMAD (now UNDMO) attacked the marchers and human rights 
defenders at the entrance to the square, pushing several women, 
detonating 3 stun guns and launching pepper spray. These actions of 
repression of social and popular mobilization are unacceptable and proof 
of the ease with which the State brutalizes protesters as an expression, 
precisely, of the sexist violence that summons women this and other 
days. As we have experienced in previous years, previously under the 
administration of Claudia López and now that of Carlos Galán, the police 
attacked a peaceful protest in an unprovoked and "excessive" manner, a 
protest that, it should be noted, also had the presence of girls. and 
older adults especially vulnerable to these types of physical aggression.

Finally, and as if that were not enough, the organizers of the event 
reported having been harassed by the police on their way to the bus 
station to take transportation and travel to their homes. This 
harassment was followed by stigmatizing comments issued directly by the 
district administration, which in addition to lying about the 
development of events - recorded on video - held the women responsible 
for the "excessive" use of force against them for having participated 
together with their children. and daughters. From Vía Libre we reject 
the restriction on the freedom of protest or its conditioning, we defend 
the need for the streets to be safe spaces for everyone, and we join the 
call to defend the spaces conquered by popular movements throughout the 
years. years.

Likewise, we strongly condemn the actions of the police force, both in 
directly attacking the march and in persecuting its organizers, as we 
repudiate the use of fear and persecution to repress social protest. The 
protection of the life and integrity of women and gender dissidents 
should not be conditioned by the protection of private property or 
"public goods," nor should we allow the mayor's office to restrict the 
participation of girls and older people to feel with the right to attack 
the march.

Finally, we highlight the significant attendance of women, gender 
dissidents and other people at the events held in the country, 
recognizing a notable increase in participation relative to previous 
years. In fact, its size is unprecedented; The march in Bogotá is 
perhaps one of the mobilizations with the greatest unitary confluence 
that we have seen in recent decades. The massive mobilizations that we 
witnessed on March 8 and 9 are the product of hundreds of people raising 
awareness of the anti-patriarchal struggles promoted by women throughout 
history. However, the specific orientation of the movement remains 
diffuse, so that the place of questioning the division of labor, and the 
struggles for the recognition of feminized work and/or the dignity of 
precarious workers, is not clear.

Today like yesterday, those who fight up!

https://grupovialibre.org/2024/03/14/balance-de-las-movilizaciones-del-8-de-marzo-de-2024/
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