'The lion has awoken': indigenous people of Bolivia rise up against imperialist coup
In the days following the right-wing coup against Evo Morales in Bolivia on 10 November 2019, the indigenous masses have taken to the streets in their hundreds of thousands to defend their democratically elected president and the gains they have won under his Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) government. CASSANDRA HOWARTH reports.
By 12 November, tens of thousands of indigenous campesino (peasant) and working-class Bolivians had taken over the La Paz suburb of El Alto, blocking roads and bridges and barricading the main international airport. Armed MAS supporters occupied the highway to the north of La Paz, chanting ‘The sleeping lion has awoken! Long live Evo Morales!’ Thousands more marched on Cochabamba determined to shut down the city; as they stormed a barricade in Coloni they chanted: ‘Evo, friend, the people are with you!’ The Unified Syndical Confederation of Rural Workers of Bolivia (CSUTCB), the largest union of peasants in Bolivia, has threatened to hold an indefinite strike unless peace and democracy are restored. The leader of the Miners’ Union also issued this statement to those behind the coup: ‘The people and miners are rising, it’s serious. Go home, allow peace, stop your crimes, inciting racism, violence, coup. We’ll look for you everywhere if you keep destroying our homeland’. Thousands have occupied La Plaza Murillo in the centre of the administrative capital La Paz, with thousands more joining them every hour, many walking over 25km as public transport is mostly at a standstill. Despite the violence unleashed by the military and police, including live fire, and the deaths of at least 23 protesters, resistance to the coup is growing rapidly, led by barrio organisations and campesino unions.
More: https://www.revolutionarycommunist....e-of-bolivia-rise-up-against-imperialist-coup
In the days following the right-wing coup against Evo Morales in Bolivia on 10 November 2019, the indigenous masses have taken to the streets in their hundreds of thousands to defend their democratically elected president and the gains they have won under his Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) government. CASSANDRA HOWARTH reports.
By 12 November, tens of thousands of indigenous campesino (peasant) and working-class Bolivians had taken over the La Paz suburb of El Alto, blocking roads and bridges and barricading the main international airport. Armed MAS supporters occupied the highway to the north of La Paz, chanting ‘The sleeping lion has awoken! Long live Evo Morales!’ Thousands more marched on Cochabamba determined to shut down the city; as they stormed a barricade in Coloni they chanted: ‘Evo, friend, the people are with you!’ The Unified Syndical Confederation of Rural Workers of Bolivia (CSUTCB), the largest union of peasants in Bolivia, has threatened to hold an indefinite strike unless peace and democracy are restored. The leader of the Miners’ Union also issued this statement to those behind the coup: ‘The people and miners are rising, it’s serious. Go home, allow peace, stop your crimes, inciting racism, violence, coup. We’ll look for you everywhere if you keep destroying our homeland’. Thousands have occupied La Plaza Murillo in the centre of the administrative capital La Paz, with thousands more joining them every hour, many walking over 25km as public transport is mostly at a standstill. Despite the violence unleashed by the military and police, including live fire, and the deaths of at least 23 protesters, resistance to the coup is growing rapidly, led by barrio organisations and campesino unions.
More: https://www.revolutionarycommunist....e-of-bolivia-rise-up-against-imperialist-coup
