Hundreds of thousands of Colombians took to the streets on Thursday amid a general strike over rumoured economic reforms and increasing discontent with the government of President Ivan Duque.
Protest organizers said more than 1 million people demonstrated across the country, while authorities put estimates at 207,000.
What began as peaceful marches turned violent by early evening as demonstrators threw rocks at riot police officers, who fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.
As tensions rose further still, locals attempted to enter the nation’s Congress and tore down some black cloth protecting a historic building in Plaza Bolivar, in downtown Bogota.
Thousands of people take part in a protest during the National Strike, in the Bolivar Square of Bogota, Colombia, 21 November 2019. Colombian students and workers took the streets of the country to protest against the economic and social policy of President Ivan Duque. EPA-EFE/Diego Bauman
At least eight civilians and 28 police officers were wounded in the clashes nationwide, authorities confirmed.
Duque’s government had deployed 170,000 officers for security enforcements and closed border crossings. Ten people were arrested and another 22 were temporarily detained.
In the city of Cali, 460 kilometres southwest of the capital, the mayor implemented a curfew from 7 p.m. local time (midnight GMT). Protesters had blocked roads and damaged dozens of transit stations, according to authorities.
