Historic marches against Petro’s government shake Colombia: Striking Images
Bogotá, Colombia – On Sunday, April 21, thousands of citizens united in a series of unprecedented protests across the country, expressing their discontent with President Gustavo Petro and his administration. What began as a mobilization initiated in part by the medical profession and various associations, to protest against proposed changes in the health system, quickly transformed into a mass demonstration that brought together a wide range of social sectors and policies.
According to preliminary data from the Unified Command Post (PCU), at least 200,000 people gathered across the national territory, converging on the main city squares to make their voices heard in rejection of the government policies in place.
From the early hours of Sunday, the streets filled with demonstrators in cities like Barranquilla, where people expressed their discontent with the current leadership of the country. The marches, which took place peacefully, ended in front of Casa de Nariño, the presidential residence, as a symbol of the demand for change.
The scale of the protest was not lost on government authorities. The director of the Administrative Department of the Presidency (Dapre), Laura Sarabia, pledged to address the concerns raised by the protesters in the coming week.
However, the government’s responses seem to diverge. While some officials advocate reflection and self-criticism, President Petro responded to the marches with a video shared on his social media, denigrating the demonstrators as part of a “dominant class.”
The pluralistic nature of the protests, with the participation of various political parties and sectors of civil society, reflects deep discontent and an urgent call for action from the government. In a country marked by political and social divisions, these marches resonated as a powerful reminder of the power of the people to demand significant changes in the country’s leadership.
To date, no serious incidents related to the protests have been reported, indicating a mostly peaceful and organized protest by Colombian citizens.
