Diego Quiñones can barely walk but struggles with the help of two crutches in a march of more than a mile through the streets of Manhattan in protest against the government of Colombia.
“I think the sympathy with those who are there, right? With those who are suffering. It is a way of showing those who are struggling that although we are far away, we are with them,” Quiñones said.
Diego is one of the hundreds of Colombians who participated in various protests in our city on Thursday. They accuse the government of Colombian President Iván Duque of wanting to silence those who are against its policies.
“They are killing us just for being outside protesting peacefully and they are giving us bullets,” said another protester.
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At least 24 people and hundreds injured are the result of more than a week of violent protests in Colombia.
These began due to the discontent created by a controversial tax reform that was escalating.
The authorities have been accused of abusing their authority and using excessive force against protesters.
“That president is useless, is useless, he is killing us young people, there is no right to protest in peace,” added another protester.
The protesters began protesting in front of the United Nations and then marched to the Times Square area where the crowd grew.
And there were so many people in Father Duffy Square that many were forced to fill the square opposite, others blocked traffic on 46th Street.
A crowd that gathered to send a message. That although far from their country, Colombians in New York suffer what happens to their brothers in their native country, they tell us.
“From the heart we are here, to be able to give support and grace to all those who are in the front line,” explained another protester.
“We are from here far from the country but always with them, always supporting them, always looking at the situation in Colombia as it is going from bad to worse day after day,” added another protester.
State Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz who was born in Medellín, Colombia came to give her support.
“In the 80s and 90s when they were killing, our family did not have the Internet, we did not have all this to fight for. Here we are to say that we are not going to allow our family to be killed with impunity whatever it is, we are not to allow, “Cruz said.
The assemblywoman posted a message on social networks about her participation in the protest.
This afternoon I joined the pain of our Colombian people! Being away from our homeland does not prevent us from shouting: no more to this corrupt government, no more to human rights violations, no more to assassinations at the hands of the state! #colombiaresist???????? #LucasNoMurioLoAassinalon pic.twitter.com/mF40p2SADD
– Catalina Cruz, Esq. (@CatalinaCruzNY) May 6, 2021
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