Thread by @rosendo_joe

The unprecedented (in scale) 18 day CONAIE-led protests against rightwing President Lasso in #Ecuador forced him to accept specific demands, many of them benefit the vast majority, not just indigenous or rural communities

Important to note that CONAIE leaders (& leaders of other orgs) cannot just snap their fingers and get lower level leaders and members to organize and execute (in face of fierce police response) a mass mobilization like this

Lasso tried arresting Leonidas Iza (CONAIE president) to nip the protests in the bud, but backtracked immediately. Poverty & violent crime have surged under 5 years of neoliberal rule. That fuels widespread determination to put a stop to it- goes way deeper than CONAIE leadership

CONAIE leaders were also hostile towards exPresident Rafael Correa ( a leftist in office 2007-17). Their protests against him were nothing like this. In 2015 protests fizzled even when they tried to time them with rightwing protests against taxes introduced on the riches 3%