Bush Silences Bogotá

March 12, 2007

Bush Silences Bogotá


Instead of the large demonstrations that have accompanied George Bush so far on his short tour of Latin America, Bush was greeted in Bogotá with an errie silence. This did not mean that Colombians do not have their share of mistrust and resentment for the U.S. President and the agreements he would like to see between the two governments. The silence in the streets of Bogotá is more indicative of the violent repression that followed up to and was clearly evident on the day of his visit.

Although there were protests all around Colombia with Bush’s arrival to Colombia, they did not seem to compare with the various actions that have popped up in other Latin American cities, or at least as they were portrayed by the media. Compared to the 10,000 and 6,000 strong marches reported in Brazil and Uruguay, Bogotá reported around 2,000 protesters. Much larger protests however had taken place at the National University just a couple of days before.

Ironically, to counter Colombia’s violent reputation at least for one day, the Colombian government tried to minimize disturbances by prohibiting protests and deploying 21,000 Colombian forces including local police, military, and special units such as Colombia’s Department of Security (DAS) and the Mobile Anti-Disturbance Unit (ESMAD).

The area around the Narińo Palace, the equivalence of the White House, was closed off, prompting many buisness owners to also close their doors because of a lack of traffic and the fear of possible confrontations between armed forces and protesters. This left the streets of Bogotá almost empty, with few walking the streets in comparison to the usual bustle of Sunday shoppers and family outings in the city’s center.

It was not unusual to hear comments of annoyance by those walking the streets and many complained about the overwhelming show of military that lined the city’s central roads, each soldier standing 10 meters apart to “ensure security.”

Those who managed to come out for the protest were met quickly by armed forces who squelched the few confrontations with massive repression. Colombia’s El Tiempo reported 325 people detained, while others suffered injuries as a result of the brutal treatment of protestors by the various security forces.

One participant of the protest said that a friend of hers working for the press was grabbed, harassed, and taken away by the police even though he was there to document the day’s protests.

But the silence of central Bogotá yesterday was not completely unusual. It was a metaphor for the silence that plagues Colombia as Colombians are displaced, disappeared, and assassinated by military and paramilitaries on a daily basis. These crimes are covered up and forgotten by a corrupt Colombian government directly involved in the killings or unwilling to hold those responsible for these crimes accountable. It is this silence that dominates the experiences of Colombia’s most marginalized and those who were missing on the streets yesterday. It is a silence that one day will break, giving voice to the thousands of untold stories, stories that unfortunately George Bush did not get to hear on his visit to Bogotá.

By Vanessa Burgos