Colombia’s far-right and rogue members of the military are plotting to violently disrupt anti-government protests planned for November 21, according to audio leaked to peace advocates.
A video of a masked man calling for violent protests published on social media by controversial former President Alvaro Uribe raised suspicion because the self-proclaimed rioter used military jargon.
This suspicion was confirmed by Whatsapp audio messages in which a man with a Medellin accent is heard telling a man called Murillo that “I have a video to upload but I think what is said is very heavy.”
The same man, who claimed to be an associate of far-right activist Luis Emilio Arboleta, said he was assembling a fight squad to attack Medellin public transport stations and protesters trying to prevent violence.
Anonymous man
In a second leaked message, an apparent military official is heard talking to an alleged sergeant about infiltrating the protests in Medellin “to repress those motherfuckers who now want to take Colombia and do whatever they want.”
Anonymous man
The 21 November national strike was initially called by labor unions, but has since been joined by students, indigenous organizations and dozens of other social organizations that oppose the government of President Ivan Duque.
Using the video uploaded by Uribe and apparently produced by his far-right supporters, Duque said that “some” and Vice-President Marta Lucia Ramirez claimed that “many” planned to use violence during the protests.
The organizations that have joined the strike did so to protest against violence that has been used to repress student protests and has killed hundreds of social leaders over the past year