Alliance for Global Justice [ http://afgj.org/ ]
URGENT – THIS IS A COPY OF A PREVIOUS ALERT. THE PREVIOUS ALERT ACTION COMPONENT WAS BROKEN. PLEASE USE THE LINKS ON THIS ALERT, AND PLEASE FORWARD TO YOUR FRIENDS AND ALLIES!
Colombian Armed Forces Attack Unarmed Peasant Protests – Contact Colombian Authorities to Demand the Aggressions Stop!*
* [ https://afgj.org/send-pres-obama-a-gift-of-george-orwells-1984 ]
Click Here to Send an Email to Colombian Authorities! [ http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/7315/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=14597 ]
A woman reacts to news of casualties from Colombian Armed Forces against unarmed protesters in Catatumbo.
We have been shocked and dismayed over the past several days to read eyewitness reports and view video evidence that shows Colombian Armed Forces, under orders from Pres. Juan Manuel Santos, attacking unarmed protesting farmers in Colombia’s Catatumbo region. Colombian troops are acting to protect the interests of transnational oil and coal companies, rather than those of their own countrymen and women. Farmers are calling an end to displacement and to coca eradication campaigns using glyphosates such as Monsanto’s RoundUp Ultra. They are demanding that the Santos administration honor longstanding promises to create protected Peasant Reserve Zones, and that eradication take place by hand, with commitments honored to establish crop substitution programs and infrastructure development that helps get harvests to market.
The US government bears much responsibility for these aggressions. The US has provided over $8 billion in funding for war and repression through Plan Colombia. The US encourages and favors eradication via glyphosate fumigation, sprayed indiscriminately over civilian populations that include children. These fumigations are carried out with funding from USAID (United States Agency for International Development.) It is unconscionable that the US has rewarded Colombia with a Free Trade Agreement and backing for its entry into an official association with NATO.
While we usually are reluctant to provide graphic photos and videos of attrocities, we feel it is important that people be able to see for themselves the truth regarding these attacks, and that they are being carried out against unarmed protesters. Following are two links to videos from attacks on Saturday, June 22 and Tuesday, June 25, 2013.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS0S6CrFNGk [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS0S6CrFNGk ]
http://prensarural.org/spip/spip.php?article11199 [ http://prensarural.org/spip/spip.php?article11199 ]
*We want to call attention to an important new article, Catatumbo Peasants Protest, Confront Violent State Repression by W. T. Whitney about the situation in Catutumbo that gives some very good background concerning the situation. Click here to read more. [ http://afgj.org/catatumbo-peasants-protest-confront-violent-state-repression ]**
*And please CLICK HERE to read the Alliance for Global Justice statement condemning the attacks in Catatumbo.* [ http://afgj.org/stop-the-repression-in-catatumbo-colombia-afgj-solidarity-statement ]