Members of the Bolivarian Continental Coordinate revealed the
controversial statue in honor of FARC founder Manuel ‘Tirofijo’
Marulanda on his own Plaza Marulanda in the Venezuelan capital Caracas Friday.
Colombia’s Foreign Ministry immediately sent an official letter of protest to the Venezuelan Government.
“The Foreign Ministry wishes to express (…) the feeling of outrage of the Colombian Government about the offensive homage in Caracas for the terrorist Manuel Marulanda Vélez who committed numerous crimes againsthumanity and the Colombian people and continually attacked the democratic institutions of the country,” the letter read.
Colombia asks the international community to reject the tribute to the founder of Latin America’s oldest, still active guerrilla group.
The statue, the plaque and the square in honor of the deceased guerrilla leader are not officially recognized by the Venezuelan Government, but Caracas so far has taken no action to stop the construction.