Protests by indigenous peoples on Columbus day
(13 Oct 2005) Bogota 1. Labourers marching on streets of capital 2. University students marching in protest of free trade agreement 3. Police officers patrolling the march 4. Labour leader cheering workers marching 5. March in front of CityTV facilities 6. Police guarding the march 7. March arriving to central "Plaza de Bolivia" 8. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Enrique Parejo, former Minister of Justice of Colombia: "We will vote in the elections, against the re-election of President Uribe, and, of course, we will try to put a stop to the free trade agreement, an agreement which somehow needs to be modified so that it won't become a tool, an instrument to afflict so much pain on the less fortunate." 9. Former minister marching 10. Arrival of march to Plaza de Bolivar Manizales 11. March by "Emberacatios" indigenous people in downtown Manizales 12. Indigenous protesting 13. Close up of people's feet while marching 14. Rally 15. Women indigenous 16. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Lizardo Domico, indigenous leader (speaking about Columbus Day): "It is a dark day, a time not to celebrate because some 513 years ago we were killed. In Colombia, we were some six million indigenous residents, today we are only about one million, meaning we were killed, physically and culturally." 17. March in progress 18. Indigenous musicians during the march 19. Resident applauding the marching of the indigenous people 20. Close up of women's faces 21. Rally, march in progress STORYLINE: Tens of thousands of trade union workers and Indians took to the streets of Colombia's main cities on Wednesday to protest a proposed free trade pact with the United States, accusing President Alvaro Uribe of selling out the country. "Four more years of Uribe and we'll be in a coffin," chanted the demonstrators, who urged Colombia's highest court to strike down a measure that would allow Uribe to seek a second consecutive term in office during next year's presidential elections. Thousands of state judicial, transport and education employees walked off the job, forcing the closure of public schools and notary offices in Bogota. The protests snarled traffic. There were also fears that Colombia's main leftist rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, would infiltrate the marches and incite violence. Purported FARC leaflets distributed in Bogota accused Uribe "of placing the country in the hands of the gringos" by accepting billions of dollars in mostly military aid from Washington over the past five years to fight the insurgents. Hundreds of riot police erected road blocks across the capital to keep the protesters, some of whom wore Uncle Sam outfits, from straying off the planned march route. Trade union leaders fear a free trade deal with the United States expected to be signed within months will make it impossible for Andean growers of sugar cane, rice, corn, potatoes and cotton to compete with heavily subsidised U.S. agricultural products. There are also worries that pharmaceutical patent protection clauses sought by Washington, that would make local production of generic medication illegal, will lead to a surge in the cost of medicine i the country. Uribe insists that a deal is necessary for Colombian products to gain access to U.S. markets. Indigenous groups also marched in Manizalez, protesting against the celebration of Columbus Day. Indigenous leader Lizardo Domico said that the Spanish domination meant the destruction of his people "physically and culturally." Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
