Colombian Students Vow to Strangle Bogota

Source: Colombia Reports

Students protesting higher education reform have announced plans to set up a permanent camp on Bogota’s central Plaza Bolivar, Caracol Radio reported Wednesday.

The camp will be set up in Plaza de Bolivar following a day of nationwide protest against the government’s proposed “Law 30”. At least 30,000 people are predicted to march in Bogota, where trade unions and other social organisations have pledged to join students on the streets – with some promising to help them “bring the city to a halt”.

More than buses full of activists will arrive in the capital tomorrow to join the encampment. They include members of the Confederation of Workers and workers from Pacific Rubiales, Colombia’s largest private oil company. Workshops and discussion groups are planned.

Sergio Tiempo, a spokesman for the Alternative National Education Board, which is leading the protest movement, told El Tiempo newspaper that if the government did not budge then “this crisis could turn into a national general strike. It won’t just be students fighting.” He said Thursday’s march would be “the biggest in a generation. Not even a car will be able to move if the students don’t allow it.”