A solidarity protest with the workers of Colombia took place in Ireland Tuesday 11th May.   A letter of protest was handed into the Colombian Embassy in Dublin, condemning the killings and detentions of working people and demanded an end to the repression of the working class of Colombia.

Below are copies of the letters of protest, and also a letter to the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs highlighting their inaction regarding the repression and violence inflicted by the Colombian State.

11 May 2021

Ambassador Patricia Cortés Ortiz

Embassy of Colombia

19 Raglan Road

Dublin 4

Stop the killings of workers and political activists!

Dear Ambassador,

We request that you pass on the serious concerns expressed in this letter to your government, headed by Iván Duque Márquez. Since 28 April, millions of Colombian workers have been mobilised against the policies of your government, in particular the tax reform project and other anti-people economic policies enacted by the Duque government and the narco-state authorities.

It has been the mobilisation of the Colombian working class that forced the government and the narco-state to withdraw the proposed tax reform bill. The withdrawal of the bill was a victory for workers; nevertheless the workers and peasants of Colombia know that the economic, social, political and military strategy of the government has not fundamentally changed.

Since being forced to withdraw the tax reform bill, the government and the narco-state have engaged in massive violence and retaliation against the people, killing dozens of working-class and community activists and leaders of people’s organisation, the injuring of hundreds of others, and the arrest and detention of hundreds more. We are also aware of the growing number of detainees and the reports of sexual violence against detainees, while the whereabouts of many young people is still unknown after having been taken away by the police.

This is not a new government strategy but rather an intensification of its existing policies of repression and violence against the people. The systemic use of violence and repression has been a feature of the government of President Duque, as witnessed during protests in November 2019 and September 2020.

We demand that the Colombian government end the killings and the mass repression of workers.

We express our solidarity with the trade unions and workers’ organisations in Colombia.

Yours sincerely,

Eugene Mc Cartan

General Secretary

Communist Party of Ireland

11 May 2021

Simon Coveney TD

Minister for Foreign Affairs

Iveagh House

St Stephen’s Green

Dublin

Repression and violence in Colombia

A chara,

The Communist Party of Ireland has sent the attached letter to the Government of Colombia regarding recent and ongoing killings and mass detentions, including the use of sexual violence against detainees. According to reports coming out of Colombia, the whereabouts of many young people are still unknown after they have been taken away by the police.

The systemic use of violence and repression has been a feature of the government of President Duque, as witnessed during protests in November 2019 and September 2020. The United Nations Human Rights Committee has condemned the state violence in the strongest possible terms.

Could you please inform us what action the Irish Government has taken to make the Colombian authorities know of the grave concern felt by many Irish people about the events unfolding in Colombia?

We would like to know if the Government has issued any condemnation of the government of President Duque. We would also like to know if your government has called in the Colombian Ambassador, Patricia Cortés Ortiz, to make your concerns known to her about these killings and mass repression.

We know that your government has a strong record of supporting actions on Venezuela and other governments and countries in Latin America in the past. We hope you will pursue with the same vigour the government and state institutions of Colombia, to hold them accountable, and to demand an end to the systemic violence against the people.

Yours sincerely,

Eugene Mc Cartan

General Secretary

Communist Party of Ireland