A senator of President Ivan Duque’s far-right party apologized on Friday after confusing Youtubers for “transnational terrorists.”
Senator Maria Fernanda Cabal of the ruling Democratic Center (CD) party published an image that claimed that four Youtubers were “FARC guerrillas wanted by the Bolivian Police.”
Cabal, a notorious extremist, said the image confirmed “transnational terrorism promoted by the Forum of Sao Paulo,” a Latin American organization of leftist groups.
The story of Maria Fernanda Cabal, the Colombian senator who took on the New York Times
After being ridiculed, the senator removed the image and apologized. According to Cabal, she was sent the image “linked to several real news stories.”
Fear-mongering ahead of anti-government protest
Colombia’s government has made multiple unsubstantiated claims that “infiltrators” would seek to disrupt widely supported anti-government protests set for Thursday.
The country’s migration agency said Thursday that it had expelled 11 foreigners, claiming they sought to “affect public security and social order” during the protests.
Colombia expels foreigners claiming they sought to ‘infiltrate’ anti-government protests
The president has claimed that “some” sought to “ignite Colombia” through the protests against his unpopular government.
Vice-President Marta Lucia Ramirez subsequently claimed that “many are calling for violence.”
The CD and Medellin-based far-right activists have embarked on all kinds of fear-mongering strategies in an apparent attempt to curb broad enthusiasm over the anti-government protests.
The president’s political patron, former President Alvaro Uribe, said Sunday that the strike “is part of the Sao Paulo Forum’s strategy to destabilize Latin American democracies.”
CD leader and former President Alvaro Uribe
In response to the former president’s fear-mongering, hardcore “uribistas” from his hometown Medellin announced the formation of “anti-riot squads.”
Medellin police reject far-right ‘anti-riot squads’ at next week’s anti-government protests
Even Miss Colombia thinks the president sucks
The government is growing increasingly nervous as more and more Colombians have expressed support for the national strike initially called by labor unions in October.
The strike gained traction after students and indigenous groups said they would join the strike and organize mass protests after failed attempts to hold meaningful talks about increased violence.
Dozens of other social organizations, artists, political parties and even Miss Colombia then expressed their support for the protests against the government, which is suffering abysmal approval ratings.
When even Miss Colombia calls to join anti-government protests
The accumulation of demands of the individual organizations and the general disapproval of the government have put Duque in a corner and even triggered calls for him to resign.