“'There's No Easy Way Out of This.' How Anti-Government Protests in Colombia Escalated into Deadly Clashes with Police”, 07 May 2021

...Civil society groups say at least 37 have died and hundreds have been injured or arbitrarily arrested. The U.N. and E.U. have both denounced the excessive use of force by police in several cities. A State Department spokesperson said the U.S. is urging “the utmost restraint by public forces to prevent additional loss of life,” while also condemning “violence and vandalism” by protesters…[S]ecurity forces are “using guns and armored vehicles to confront a population that is either unarmed or in some cases, more recently, taking up rocks and sticks to confront the police”...The mobilizations began with a national strike on April 28 to oppose a new tax bill presented to congress by Colombia’s center-right president Iván Duque. He argued that tax increases were badly needed to cover a gaping hole in public finances created by the COVID-19 pandemic…Protesters saw the proposal as evidence that the government doesn’t understand the brutal impact the pandemic has had on ordinary Colombians — 2.5 million people fell out of the middle class in 2020 and more than half of the population is now living in poverty…Trade unions organized the protests, but they have been joined by middle class people and indigenous groups. They are calling for legislative changes to make society more equal, including health and education reforms, as well as police reform, and better implementation of Colombia’s peace accords with Marxist revolutionary groups...Protesters say the violence is largely the result of the government’s heavy-handed response…Images of young people killed by police and video of violent confrontations have circulated widely on social media, accompanied by an outpouring of grief...