GERMANY. Berlin: The uncalm situation in Berlin in May will continue for a while. Following the May Day rallies, on 5 May, a manifestation arranged by the Colombian community started from the Columbia Embassy at Taubenstrasse.
The long queues did not stop the people from matching in the rain and wind, as they solidarily marched to the Bradenburg Tor, an iconic 18th-century neoclassical monument in Berlin.
Unlike the May Day protesters who threw bottles, firecrackers, and stones at police in the Neukölln neighborhood, people in the manifestation were more peaceful. They made statements in their way: Colombia flags, mottos that “#SOSColombia”, “Resiste Columbia”, and music and dance. Some people even reminded people to keep social distance by opening their arms. But this is quite difficult in the protest.
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The Colombian government recently attempted to introduce a set of tax and health care reforms. The tax reform would debilitate the already weakened middle and lower classes. The health care reform aims to privatize the sector in the middle of the pandemic.
Under the rising discontent, anxiety, and sadness, the outrage towards the Colombian police and authorities was mainly triggered by the human rights violations by the armed forces during the general strike in Columbia where 24 people were killed while another 142 were injured. Nine victims of sexual harassment were recorded, and another 176 were in arbitrary detention according to Columbia NGOs.
The Berlin manifestation was in solidarity with the protests in Columbia. The bad weather did not stop the queue from marching. People from other Latin American countries also joined the demonstration.
