Colombia is in the midst of violent protests. Initially targeted at tax reform, the demonstrations have slowly morphed into broader grievances against the government of President Ivan Duque. 

Nearly half of Colombia’s population lives in poverty with many blaming the nation's economic downturn as the cause of the recent violence. The tax reform bill would have lowered the threshold of taxable salaries, resulting in a larger proportion of the population becoming worse off. As a result of the backlash, authorities have since rescinded the policy in what they hoped would be an end to the violence. Instead, Thousands of Colombians have since filled the streets, asking to be listened to. Over the span of a few weeks, outrage has spread to cover government attitudes towards human rights, poverty, universal basic income and police brutality. Colombia is campaigning for change, but are they being heard?

The city of Cali in southwestern Colombia has found itself as the center of the protests. Since the start of the clashes in April, over 20 people have died and hundreds are said to have been injured. Police forces have provoked protesters using violent strategies such as teargas, water cannons and flash bangs. One student, Maria Jose, said: “We just want the right to protest peacefully, to feel like we have a future. We are the majority but they don’t listen to us.”

Political science professor Pedro Piedrahita said, “Colombia’s public security organism [sic] are still operating under the anachronistic doctrines of anti-communism, of an internal enemy, and as such protesters aren’t seen as citizens but as legitimate military targets that need to be taken out — no matter what.” 

The recent violence has all but disregarded Colombia’s 2016 hope of peace. In 2016, the country’s government and rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia signed a deal ending over 50 years of civil war that killed 260,000. Many would assume that due to the recent peace efforts, any inclination or development of violence would be resolved diplomatically. While authorities initially responded by rescinding the policy after national outrage, the retaliation towards ongoing protesters is violent and unacceptable.

Tensions recently spurred after a TV news clip depicting a mother finding out her son had been fatally shot by police surfaced. She cried, “Kill me too, they also killed me, he was my only son!” 

While the majority of demonstrators have been peaceful, some have displayed violence by blockading ports and roads. Small scale vandalism, looting and damage to public property has also been reported. In response, Duque called the demonstrators “urban terrorists.”

Duque recently agreed to let armed forces patrol urban areas at the request of a mayor. An increased presence of authorities, as a scare tactic, is likely to spur outrage rather than alleviate chaos. Jose Miguel Vivanco, director for the Americas at Human Rights Watch said, “International (human rights) standards require limiting as much as possible the use of the (military) to control internal disturbances. The soldiers are trained for armed conflict, not for citizen security.” 

Conditions in Colombia have only been exacerbated by the pandemic and this is evident when looking at the 14% unemployment rate. Due to the impact of COVID-19, those living in extreme poverty grew by 2.8 million. The tax reform was proposed in order to restore the country as the fourth-largest economy in Latin America. Instead, it exposed the wealth inequality gap that is rife throughout the nation. Most saw it as a money grab, a way to make the government wealthier whilst the poor get poorer. It became the tipping point for many, with issues surrounding deprivation and poverty taking the center stage in recent days. 

As a developing story, it is not clear whether the protests will fade out as a matter of individual safety or, the government will seek to resolve the nation's current issues. In any case, brutality isn’t the answer to civil unrest.