Observers of the first-round presidential elections in Colombia shared with Toward Freedom irregularities they encountered in Buenaventura, a predominantly Afro-descendant city on the Pacific coast. This comes as it appears a left-wing candidate who faces death threats is surging in a recent poll against his social-media-savvy competitor, reports TF Editor Julie Varughese.
Former militant-turned-politician Gustavo Petro had sharp words for his opponent, who is thought to have won first-round presidential election votes among the Colombian youth because of his presence on the social media platform, TikTok. TF editor Julie Varughese reports from Colombia.
Onlookers say Gustavo Petro and Francia Márquez's popularity might explain a surge in death threats against the Colombian candidates for president and vice president, respectively. The ticket is striking: Petro is a former guerilla-turned-elected-official while Márquez is an award-winning Afro-descendant activist. The pair have inspired people in the country, which has been torn apart by decades of paramilitary violence, partly due to being tied politically, militarily and economically to the United States, reports TF editor Julie Varughese.
Many say the upcoming Colombian presidential election looks to be the most consequential in decades. Everyone Toward Freedom spoke to agreed militant-turned-politician Gustavo Petro is the strongest candidate on the left. But what role can Afro-descendant presidential candidate Francia Márquez play in building out a popular base of support for left-wing politics in conservative Colombia? TF Editor Julie Varughese reports.
Between former U.S.-backed dictator Augusto Pinochet’s terror laws being used to criminalize Mapuche elders and activists, the United States and the United Kingdom arming Chile’s security forces, and the failure of international agencies to treat the Mapuche conflict with urgency, the West appears complicit in the genocide of the Mapuche people.
The United Kingdom has red-listed seven countries in the Americas, requiring even vaccinated travelers to quarantine. This has been lambasted as a political move in light of the upcoming COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland.
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