On the second week of massive protests in Ecuador, thousands
of indigenous protesters paralyzed the country and thousands more arrived in
the capital of Quito, where they marched and eventually faced martial law. They
reject President Moreno's Neo-liberal reforms, but also emphasize their
opposition to former President Rafael Correa, whom Moreno is blaming for the
uprising. We spoke to representatives of 2 of the largest indigenous
organizations CONAIE and CONFENAIE.
Massive protests have brought Ecuador almost to a
standstill. Much of the country is paralized by a coalition of social
organizations, including the indigenous movement under CONAIE, many student
organizations, the Unitary Front of Workers or FUT, and many citizens in
general, especially farmers and workers.
The protests erupted after President Lenin Moreno declared a
host of economic and social austerity measures, proposed by the IMF, as a
condition for loans. These included eliminating subsidies, raising gas and food
prices, and restructuring work laws, based on more neoliberal standards, among
other things.
Building up to the protests, anger among Ecuadorians reached
a boiling point when the National Assembly struck down a law that would have
made it possible to confiscate private assets from people involved in
corruption.
By the second week of massive protests, thousands of
indigenous protesters paralyzed towns and roads and thousands more arrived in
the capital, after walking in many cases hundreds of miles from their rural
homes, all the way to Quito.
Andres Tapia, Communications Director CONFENAIE: “We are all
striking against a massive increase in food and transport prices, also the
government’s agreement with the IMF. These agreements with oil, mining and
timber corporations, represent a great danger for our indigenous lands.”
We spoke over the phone with Andres Tapia, he is the
Communications Director of CONFENAIE, short for Confederation of Indigenous
Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon.
Andres Tapia, Communications Director CONFENAIE: “We are
extremely worried about [the destruction of the biosphere], and that is
precisely the central demand of the indigenous movements articulated under
CONAIE.
However, on this particular strike our demands are the
following:
1- no to the austerity measures imposed by the IMF,
2- no to a mining and oil based economy,
3- no to the new laws regulating work.
So we want to be categorical on this: our protests are an
organic process by social organizations, along with the indigenous movements
and in no way is it an endorsement of Correa or any other Ecuadorian political
figure.”
The fact that the protests, at least from the indigenous
movement, do not endorse former president Rafael Correa, is precisely a very
important part of the issue.
President Moreno and other high ranking government officials
have alleged a destabilization plot by Correa, as a justification for declaring
a state of exception, similar to martial law, and sent the military and riot
squads to repress the protesters.
Even the Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido tweeted
about his support for President Moreno, claiming that there is a Pro-Maduro –
Pro-Correa plot that is financing the protests. Guaido made these claims
despite a decade of Correa’s forceful opposition to the indigenous movement.
Correa not only imprisoned many indigenous leaders, but also
intensified a surveillance state apparatus on them, violently repressing
demonstrations and waiving many of their constitutional rights in favor of
mining projects.
Andres Tapia, Communications Director CONFENAIE: “The
indigenous movement’s agenda goes beyond supporting a political or presidential
figure, like Rafael Correa was. Historically, In that sense the indigenous
movement spoke for the great majority of the Ecuadorian people. Now is not the
exception. Over the last decades, we have been protagonists of Ecuador’s social
changes.”
Recently there have been many documented cases of human
rights violations, including three deaths (by Oct, 7th), about 600 people detained,
dozens of cases of often grave injuries, such as shots with pellet bullets and
even live rounds, public beatings, run-overs, and even many alleged cases of
torture.
The official in charge of this operation is General Oswaldo
Jarrin, who was trained in Israel and The School of the Americas, as part of
“Operation Condor,” back in the nineteen eighties.
Jarrin ordered elite troops and assault vehicles to be
stationed outside the Carondelet Presidential Palace in preparation for
Wednesday’s general strike.
In the early 2000’s, very similar strikes took down three
governments, one after the other.
However, this time, to avoid being deposed like many before
him, President Moreno strategically flew to Guayaquil, under the protection of
the Social Christian Party which runs the city and surrounding areas.
Apawki Castro, Communications Director CONAIE: “[The alleged
plot of Correa financing us], is a lie, a “PR strategy”, trying to control
information, and also the Correa faction is obviously trying to use our
momentum and get on board. We are not supporting any character, our struggle is
about rights, ours and nature’s, along with the rest of our demands. They have
that strategy, trying to use us, on a move to bring back Rafael Correa, but we
are steering clear from any of that.”
There are supporters of former president Rafael Correa on
the streets, trying to swing the momentum in their favor, including the
Governor of Pichincha and many Alianza Pais figures, some like Luis Tuarez
where violently rejected by the crowd.
But by far, the core of the protests is formed by the
indigenous and student movements, along with an angry population tired of
imposed austerity measures, while corruption cases involving millions of
dollars multiply, many unprosecuted.
And while on the streets people protest, in the background,
the political right stands to win. Right wing parties, have encouraged and
supported Moreno, letting his government do all the “dirty” austerity work, and
they are now in a position to win the next elections and take over a stronger
state apparatus.
Apawki Castro, Communications Director CONAIE: “As
indigenous movements, we have proposed a new economic model, away from the
current extractivist model, which is not a sustainable model for our nationalities
and territories. So for now, that is demand number two on our agenda.”
Furthermore, Tapia, who represents a group from the Amazon
regions, stresses the importance that nature has for the indigenous movement.
Andres Tapia, Communications Director CONFENAIE: “The
indigenous movement has always been active defending the land, locally,
internationally, and even in a global context. We have been at the forefront of
the fight against climate change. In our struggle, [PachaMamma or Mother Earth]
has been represented in one of our main traditional standard flags, and it
still stands as such. In that context [taking care of nature] is one of our
main demands, especially in the amazon. In principle, we oppose the many mining
and oil concessions, given all over the country, by this and past governments,
including that of Rafael Correa Delgado.”
On October 7th two official CONAIE documents were published.
The second document addressed several cases of looting,
stating that whoever committed such crimes is not part of their movement, and
furthermore stating that they have identified several groups of agent
provocateurs, sent by the military, operating to spread chaos.
And as a response to that, in the build up for the general
strike on October 10th, indigenous guards will provide security and detain
violent individuals.
