Assemblies

Well, not everything is mobilizations and hoods and throngs. We also talk and discuss everything all the time in the form of assemblies. The student movement is not homogeneus, there are a lot of different thinkings and idiologies. So we all get together per Schools and decide what we're going to do about a specific matter. Then we take this decision and write a release that we later read to the assembly per Faculties, and in this we take another decision and wrtie another release. This release is read then in the General Assembly of all the students, in which the final decision is taken.

We meet every time something bad happens in the government. So... really often. Last year, in the secon semester, there was a student stike that lasted like two months. So they had to finish that semester this year, while us, the new ones, started our first semester. And when they finished the 2018-2 semester, we were in the middle of the 2019-1 one. When we finished that one, they were in the middle of the 2019-1 for  them. And we had a two-month vacations, and when they finised 2019-1 they had a two-week vacations and we all started 2019-2 together.

And we were supposed to finised 2019-2 on January 2020. But... the government messed up real good and we haven't had class in two weeks because we are in a Permanent Assembly state. Which means no classes, no midterms, no grades, no nothing, except that we still have to go there and attend every single assembly, forum or whatever there is.

The students themselves are the ones that make the other students leave the classrooms. And sometimes, los capuchos throw potato or hand grenades, to scare the teachers and administrative staff. I used to get really scared, but now it's completely normal, and I even join the other students as they cheer los capuchos up.

The end :)

The Hunger Games

I just compared protests with The Hunger Games, but I'm not really sure that's what I'm looking for.

I was trying to explain my little sister what it was like to be right in the middle of a throng and as I described the general view I thought of The Hunger Games. But that is not completely right.

Think about the third book, where there are protests and rowdyisms, and stuff is on fire and there's smoke everywhere. That is more like it.

See for yourself...

This is UIS in a normal day:

This is UIS in the middle of a throng:

This is UIS right after a throng:

And the next morning everything is gone, it's just like nothing ever happened:)

The end;)

Some tips

If you're thinking about going to a protest or a mobilization, here are some tips for you:

Let's start with the solution for tear gas: sodium bicarbonate. Yo just need to dissolve it in some water, pour it in a bottle, and when you need it, take a handkerchief and anoint it with it. Then, just breath through the damped handkerchief and problem solved.

And some more: these ones are about our physical integrity. You should take an extra shirt to change it at the end of the manifestation, and you should try to take different shoes and backpack to the ones you usually wear, so it will be harder to recognize you. You should also cover your face with a t-shirt or a bandana, and take a first aids kit, just in case. Always take your phone fully charged and with minutes and data, and also remember to take yout ID, in case you are captured. Make groups of three and don't call them by their names. In case of policemen's agression stay calm and do not run, stay together and don't leave the herd, and try to get to a safe place as soon as possible.

That's all. Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor. 

Just kidding. Be safe:3

Violent state repression

As I said in the first post, in the last mobilization we were shocked that there were almost no policemen and that the few that were, were keeping their distance. I want to explain this, because if you've never marched before, you may not know this:

Policemen and ESMAD members are assholes.

They are violent without reason and they couldn't care less for the lives of the people they are supposed to protect (not all of them, but most. At least the one that are in charge of going to protests). I can only speak for Colombian people, but based on recent videos from Chile and Ecuador I'm pretty sure they are like that in all South and Central America too. 

I'd never been interested in mobilization or protests or strikes before starting university, but since I learned that it is one of the few ways of prtotecting Democracy and went to my first march I tried to go to all of them. I only missed the one that took place the 8th of October, against the bill that prohibits protests and against Senator Uribe (the real President, or 'paraco hijueputa', whatever you prefer); and since the march of the 10th there has been one every thursday.

My friends who were there explained to me what happened, as the newscasts said one thing and the students another. They've been marching for like an hour, and were on the 27th street, when some masked students were caught making some graffitis by some policement. The policement started beating them, and hell broke lose. 

The students were too far from university to seek refuge there. So they were severely beaten by the policement. Once most of the students made to the university, the members of masked groups (from now on 'los capuchos')  closed all the entries with tables, boards and desks. Most of the students masked and hooded themselves and started throwing rocks to the members of the Police force and the ESMAD. 

In return, these officers beat the crap out of them and throw tear gas at them. This went for almost three hours. And in order to disseminate all the gas and its residues, students were forced to start bonfires. At eight the state forces withdrew and everything finished, so the students were able to go home at last. Human Rights reported a lot of captured and wounded students, but the nescasts and the official version states that the students caused rowdyisms and set a building of the University on fire (you can chech this on google if you look it up as 'marcha del 8 de octubre 2019', like this one: Artículo 1).

The end:3

I was blind.

I started studying Languages at Universidad Industrial de Santader this February. And I knew Colombia wasn't perfect, I knew there were some problems. I was so stupid. I couldn't even begin to imagine the magnitude of it. I still know nothing. But I want to learn, I want to know. So that I can help this society to change for the better.



So I'll start posting everything I learn, so we can learn together.

This last Halloween there was a student mobilization (or 'marcha' how we call it here). It was with torches and costumes, so the policemen kept their distance. It was really peaceful and nothing bad happened for a change. We were all surprised and excited. The music students brought their instruments and played some local melodies and the national  and departamental anthem. We were all dancing, singing, jumping and screaming. It was the best mobilization I've ever been to.

We marched for five main purposes:

1. Reject of article 44.
2. Reject of the policy of state repression and demand of the dissamblance of the ESMAD.
3. Demand of the withdrawl of the articles' 86 and 87 reform bill.
4. Reject of the designation of Alberto Carrasquilla as AdHoc Minister for the delimation of Santurban's moor.
5. Defense of the Hospital Universitario de Santander, its acreditation and full financing.

I'll be explaining these 'banderas locales' later:3