Riot police fired tear gas at protesters in Bogota, Colombia, during an eighth day of nationwide anti-government demonstrations reut.rs/3vIe7xh 1/5
The protests were originally called in opposition to a now-canceled tax reform plan, but demonstrators have broadened their demands to include government action to tackle poverty, police violence and inequalities in the health and education systems 2/5
Demonstrations and lawmaker opposition led to the tax reform's withdrawal and the resignation of the finance minister. International organizations have warned against police violence, which is so far linked to just under half of 24 confirmed deaths, mainly of protesters 3/5
'They get orders from the state, which they have to follow,' said student James Romero, who joined a chanting crowd in Bogota's central Bolivar Plaza.
Many protesters are calling for the ESMAD riot police to be disbanded, but some said they did not blame individual officers 4/5
Poverty, which rose to 42.5% of the population last year amid coronavirus lockdowns, has aggravated long-standing inequalities.
The number of Colombians living in extreme poverty grew by 2.8 million people in 2020 reut.rs/3vIe7xh 5/5
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