Daniel Quintero’s message to those who threatened to arm themselves to finish off the students in Medellín

During the march that took place this November 21 in Medellín, A man verbally confronted the students who were walking along one of the streets of the Antioquia capital and who were commemorating November 21.

“Civilians are going to arm ourselves to finish off these cheap students; students who neither study nor contribute to the house “, the man yelled as he was recorded.

This is the video that circulates on social networks:

In the video that was shared on Twitter, the subject can also be heard saying that the protesters were damaging the Colombian economy, they were only to vandalize the streets.

The mayor of Medellín, Daniel Quintero, shared this video on his Twitter account and wrote: “In my beloved city that has suffered so much violence and so many times we have the great challenge of learning to resolve our differences without violence, without weapons, without threats. Unlearn violence. Ideas? “.

Clashes in Bogotá

In the middle of a demonstration that was taking place on Calle 26 with Carrera 30, where several citizens tried to block roads, an act of vandalism occurred.

Under the bridge of the 26, a police patrol was destroyed by a group of hooded men who with different objects broke the windows of the vehicle. The situation was recorded on video and you can see how the coexistence managers of the Bogotá Mayor’s Office tried to stop the action of the vandals.

Very close to this place, minutes later another act of violence occurred, this time against a uniformed man who was riding his motorcycle. As reported by Blu Radio, several protesters attacked a policeman who was patrolling the area. Young people with their faces covered hit the motorcycle that was already lying on the avenue with their skateboards.

In addition, a confrontation between Esmad and hooded men caused an accident between a truck and a private car, on 26th Street, near the National University.

When drivers wanted to escape the gases released by the uniformed, a truck rear-ended a private vehicle.

Read: Video: hooded men destroy a Police patrol amid demonstrations in Bogotá

How were the marches last Thursday?

Hundreds of people took to the streets last Thursday to demand a change of course from the government of Iván Duque, a year after the massive protests against him that will mark a milestone in the country.

Adherence was lower than in previous calls and the rain scared off protesters in Bogotá, the epicenter of the mobilizations. In the other cities, participation was low.

Trade unionists, students, teachers, doctors, former FARC guerrillas and government opponents marched under colorful slogans and protected with masks amid the pandemic.

In the capital there were peaceful concentrations in different points and people then walked towards the central Plaza de Bolívar, neighbor of the presidential headquarters.

We want “(Duque) to attend to the indigenous, the peasants, the working-class sectors of the country, to comply with the pacts signed with the students (…) that the minimum requests be met!” Jaime Valencia told AFP , a 65-year-old educator, who wore a poncho with the Colombian flag.

The claims range from rejection of the rise in violence in remote areas of the country to criticism of the conservative government’s policies. A group of health workers advanced towards the center of the capital with coffin-shaped cardboard hung around their necks.

“We are under forms of illegal hiring, outsourced, precarious (…) we do not have biosecurity and protection (…) we continue to buy it out of pocket”, lamented the psychiatrist Carolina Corcho, 36 years old.

Massive anti-government protests began in November 2019 with rivers of people mobilizing daily in the biggest popular challenge a Colombian government has faced since the 1970s.