Colombia's FARC in the News
Wednesday October 15, 2008
Two days after a bombing in the Colombian city of Nieva was attributed to FARC, news is now surfacing that the FARC, ths everal generations old Colombian leftist guerrilla group, is playing a part in violent demonstrations in the capital, Bogota. The demonstrations, which have so far killed one person and injured 50, according to CNN, were put on by indigenous Indians opposed to the government plan for a free trade agreement with the United States. The violence has come from clashes with riot police, who also claim several injured, and who are pointing the finger at FARC as having "infiltrated" the demonstrations. Interestingly, the demonstrators deny the participation of the guerrilla-group-turned-narcotics-profiteers. If it's true that FARC plays no part in the demonstrations, the charge suggests that FARC actually plays a convenient role for the government seeking to deflect its conflict with opposition on the ground. The story also tells us that class war is alive and well in Colombia.