Students in Bogota lay down their paint bombs and angry protest signs, and instead bring their partners for a half hour of smooching in the latest creative expression of their protest against higher education reform.
In a Facebook event titled “Great Kissathon for public, free, and quality education,” organizers call for students to meet at the Plaza Che in the National University on Wednesday, October 19 at 4PM to kiss their partners until 4:30PM and throw colored balloons at the finale.
“Because education is not an exclusive privilege of the ruling class, which is why we organize to show the love that we have for education and what better way to show it than kissing each other,” read the Facebook event page. “To stop the Neoliberal reform of Law 30, detrimental to the University, we are going to fill our fight with love and warmth.”
The organizers warned about the potential problems protesters could face — including oral hygiene. They cautioned the kissers not to eat garlic and onions prior to their make-out session and to brush their teeth for at least two minutes.
Students and educators have taken to the streets to protest the proposed reform of higher education — Law 30. Critics argue that the law, which aims to privatize the funding of public universities, will undermine their autonomy.
“The fight is not a cold and rigid dynamic, the fight is a collective process, but most importantly CREATIVE,” the organizers concluded.