Colombian students march against university privatisation

43,000 youths march in Colombia; Santos seeks to negotiate

El Universal, Friday November 11. BOGOTÁ (agencies) – One person was injured and 34 were arrested during yesterday's march of more than 43,000 public university students.

They were protesting for the fourth time in one month against an education reform project put before Congress and which the government has offered to withdraw if the students lifted their indefinite strike.

The most massive demonstrations were held in Bogotá, where students rallied in the central Bolívar Square in front of the Congress and a few metres from the government palace despite a heavy downpour which drenched the capital.

According to the authorities, 23 students were arrested in the capital for acts of vandalism against banking and commercial facilities, in addition to the detonation of three home-made explosive devices which caused no material damage.

Despite this, the mayoress of Bogotá, Clara López, stressed that “the acts of indiscipline” would not succeed in tarnishing the positive outcome of the protest, which closed with a concert in Bolívar Square. Present on the day was former Liberal Party senator Piedad Córdoba, who urged students to “continue the strike” as it was a victory of “popular unity over national unity.”

In the rest of the country, confrontations between students and security forces left one youth injured in Medellín and 15 arrested in Popayán, capitals of the departments of Antioquia and Cauca respectively.

The youth consider the government's educational reform project as the first step towards the privatisation of their centres of study. Yesterday, president Juan Manuel Santos reiterated that he would order the withdrawal of the project – in lieu of which another text would be presented to Congress following consultation with universities – but on the condition that the strike would be lifted. “We're not going to 'give them any rabbit' [a Colombian expression meaning deceive],” he assured.

The youth said that they would come to a decision on Saturday.

Translated by James Tweedie (tweedie.james@gmail.com)

From: http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/internacional/75112.html

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