On Wednesday, 14 October, Colombian unions and teachers planned demonstrations in at least eight cities against President Abelardo de la Espriella’s government. Organisers described the mobilisation as preparation for a wider strike, which they were considering for November but hadn’t scheduled. In Bogotá, the city government listed four protest events for Wednesday, including union and teacher gatherings at Parque Nacional.
Who Is Organising
Bogotá’s city government published its protest agenda on Monday, 12 October. It listed a “preparatory mobilisation for the strike against the Government,” called by the CUT, CTC, CGT, CDP, Fecode, the Pacto Histórico and Alianza por la Vida. The CUT is the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores, a national union confederation; Fecode is the national teachers’ federation; and the Pacto Histórico is the left-wing coalition of former President Gustavo Petro.
The CGT said on Friday, 9 October, that it “does not mobilise or call on its affiliated organisations” to march, according to Publimetro. Bogotá’s teachers’ union, the Asociación Distrital de Educadores, separately called its own march under the slogan that the city’s teachers “stop and mobilise.”
Teachers’ demands centred on public education and their health scheme, run through the Fondo Nacional de Prestaciones Sociales del Magisterio. Publimetro and Infobae also listed the 2027 minimum wage, labour benefits and damage from the August earthquake among the issues. Petro said he would join the Bogotá march. “I will be at the 14 October march in Bogotá, and I expect all the working people of the city,” he wrote, according to Infobae.
March Routes and Disruption
In Bogotá, teachers were scheduled to gather at Parque Nacional, on Carrera Séptima at Calle 26, at 10:00 a.m.; the article gave this as 11:00 a.m. in New York. A city notice on Tuesday listed the union march there from 9:30 a.m. Both groups planned to head to Plaza de Bolívar. Other planned Bogotá events included a university march from the Universidad Colegio Mayor de Cundinamarca and a march in the southern district of Usme, though neither had a confirmed time. The city said expected routes could include Carrera Séptima, Carrera Décima and Calle 26, but warned that routes could change.
Noticiero 90 Minutos listed a 9:00 a.m. start in Cali at Jairo Varela square, heading toward Parque de las Banderas, and a 10:00 a.m. start in Medellín at the Adida teachers’ union, the Universidad de Antioquia and the Aventura shopping centre. El Colombiano named Plaza San Antonio as Medellín’s main point. Publimetro said that location and Cali’s Plaza de Cayzedo weren’t confirmed. By Tuesday evening, neither city’s mayor’s office had published a march plan. Barranquilla’s gathering was set for 10:00 a.m. on Paseo Bolívar; Bucaramanga’s was set for 9:00 a.m. from two points, heading to Luis Carlos Galán square. Ibágué, Armenia and Riohacha also expected early morning gatherings.
Government Response
In a national address on Monday, De la Espriella said officials would publish a new protest decree “in the coming days.” He said peaceful marchers would receive protection and that dialogue would be the rule. “Never again a permanent blockade of a highway, never again a TransMilenio lane turned into a trench,” he said. He added: “If they intend to set Colombia on fire, they will meet the determination of the Tiger.” El Tiempo reported the address; Publimetro said the Interior Minister called the marches an early test of the decree.
The reports reviewed on Tuesday hadn’t included the final decree. A draft described by Asuntos Legales on 8 October would amend Decree 003 of 2021, the existing protocol for policing protests. It defines violent acts to include attacks on people, throwing dangerous objects and blocking medical missions. Under the draft, dialogue remains the first response, while force is exceptional once set criteria show dialogue is exhausted. The UNDMO, the riot unit formerly called the ESMAD, would be reserved for wider violent situations. The draft also creates “solidarity corridors” to prevent roads and TransMilenio lanes from being closed indefinitely.
Bogotá’s education department said public schools would hold classes as normal and asked teachers to protest outside class hours. Turnout, the final wording of the decree and whether it would be signed before the marches remained unknown. The city warned that demonstrations could affect traffic and TransMilenio routes, particularly around Santa Fe, Teusaquillo, La Candelaria and Usme. It advised people to plan journeys early and allow for detours and closures.