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Rally in Solidarity with the People of Honduras Organized by the Latin-American Solidarity Network

sábado, 29 de marzo de 2008

Letter from CUPE to the Colombian Government

CUPE•SCFP

Canadian Union of Public Employees
Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique

1375, boul. St. Laurent Blvd.,
Ottawa, ON K1G OZ7
(613) 237-1590,
cupemail@cupe.ca

March 26, 2008

President of the Republic of Colombia
Dr. Alvaro Uribe Velez,
Cra. 8 No. 7-26, Palacio de Narino,
Santa fe de Bogota, Colombia


Dear Mr. President:

We have learned of the brutal murder of four trade unionists around March 6, the day of.

the mass rallies to protest the vicious acts of paramilitary groups in Colombia, and we join with a chorus of others in denouncing your government's failure to protect trade unionists. forced to live in fear of paramilitary groups who threaten their lives. We are informed that the victims of this recent paramilitary violence were Leonidas Gomez Rozo, leader of the National Union of Bank Employees (UNEB); Carlos Burbano, vice-president of the hospital workers' union (Asociacion Nacional de Trabajadores Hospitalarios); Carmen Cecilia Carvajal, a teacher; and, Gildardo Gomez Alzate, a teacher and activist with the Asociacion de Institutores de Antioquia. The four were active participants in the rallies that attracted hundreds of thousands of people. Colombia has earned a reputation as the world's most murderous country. With this latest murder; your government must wear a badge of shame. We have written to our prime minister to say that Canada will share that shame if it proceeds to negotiate a free trade agreement with a country that holds one of the world's worst human rights records.

The Colombian trade union movement, especially the CUT and its affiliated unions, continues to be the victim of a leadership extermination campaign and your government appears to condone such action. We understand that the Black Eagles paramilitary group has declared the UNEB a 'Military Objective'.

On behalf of our 570,000 members, we implore you to bring to justice the paramilitaries that maraud and murder with impunity. Submit to a thorough international investigation into these and other murders that have taken place at the hands of the paramilitary groups. Colombia, alone, cannot conduct it. To have any legitimacy, it must involve the international community.

CUPE implores you to call an end to the intolerably dangerous situation facing trade unionists and other civil society activists in Colombia. Until the safety of all civil society activists is insured, Canadians will oppose a future trading relationship with your country.

Yours truly,

PAUL MOIST
National President

CLAUDE GENEREUX
National Secretary-Treasurer

cc. CUPE NEB
CLC President Ken Georgetti




Fax – (+57 1) 566.20.71

auribe@presidencia.gov .vo

sábado, 15 de marzo de 2008

Public Forum March 20th

Colombia's Crisis Beyond the Reports
Impacts for Andean Region & Canada

Thursday, March 20 @ 6:30p.m.
Bahen Centre @ 40 St. George Street
(just north of College St), RM# 1180

Speakers:
LUIS MATTA (writer/exiled human rights activists, CASA) JUSTIN PODUR (writer/activist, Znet & Pueblos en Camino) RUSA JEREMIC (Global Economic Justice Program Coordinator, Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives-KAIROS)


Background;

Despite decades of armed violence and repression, on March 6, 2008, Colombian civil society marched peacefully and in masse demanding truth, justice and reparation for state and paramilitary crimes. These mobilizations were supported by similar actions in numerous cities throughout the world, including Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary, Quebec City and Vancouver; a welcome sign of much needed international attention and solidarity.

The significance of March 6TH mobilizations, however, was eclipsed by Uribe's deliberate and illegal armed incursion into Ecuador to assassinate FARC guerillas, including 2nd-in-command Raul Reyes. Although the resulting border crisis with Ecuador and Venezuela has been resolved for now, it is evident that the U.S.-allied Uribe government is willing to risk peaceful relations with its neighbours to fight its "war against terror".
In Canada, the extent of Colombia's humanitarian crisis, including four million internally displaced persons and persistent right-wing paramilitary threats, receives scant attention. Meanwhile, the Harper government continues behind-the-scenes negotiations for a bilateral Free Trade Agreement with Uribe, the worst violator of human and labour rights in the hemisphere.

Organized by: Colombia Action Solidarity Alliance (CASA) & Alternative Democratic Pole (PDA)-Toronto Group.

Endorsers: OPIRG Toronto and CUPE Ontario International Solidarity Committee.

For more information: mailto:
pda.toronto@gmail.com

domingo, 9 de marzo de 2008

Jornada del 6 de Marzo en Toronto

A pesar del frío y el inconveniente de la hora, más de cien personas participaron en la vigilia que se realizó al medio día frente al consulado colombiano en Toronto. Además de un nutrido grupo de colombianos, estuvieron presentes amigas y amigos canadienses y latinoamericanos. Las banderas, pancartas, consignas e intervenciones expresaron su solidaridad con todas las víctimas de la guerra en Colombia, resaltando la enorme responsabilidad del estado colombiano y todos sus gobiernos en la crisis humanitaria que vive el país. Se rechazó totalmente la política guerrerista y aventurera del presidente Álvaro Uribe y se denunciaron las negociaciones sobre el TLC entre Canadá y Colombia. También se expresaron con firmeza esperanzas multicolores por la paz y se insistió en la necesidad de lograr el acuerdo humanitario como un primer paso en ese camino.

Dos grupos de organizaciones que, coincidencialmente convocaron a rendirle homenaje a las victimas en el mismo sitio y hora, compartimos solidariamente el mismo espacio. Los convocantes fueron por un lado: Colombia Action Solidarity Alliance (CASA), Polo Democrático Alternativo PDA-Toronto, CUPE Ontario International Solidarity Committee, Guatemala Community Network, Toronto Forum on Cuba The Canada-El Salvador Action Network (CELSAN). Cabe destacar el apoyo del Comité de Solidaridad Internacional de CUPE sindicato canadiense de empleados públicos que es uno de los mas importantes y combativo, así como el respaldo de las organizaciones de derechos humanos y solidaridad latinoamericanas que nos acompañaron. El otro grupo de convocantes fueron: Bolivarian Latinoamerican Circle "Manuelita Sáenz" Toronto; Colombian Action Committee, Communist Party Canada, the Coalition Venezuela We Are With You (CVEC), Socialist Project, Socialist Action, Hands Off Venezuela.

Como continuación a esta jornada CASA (Colombia Action Solidarity Alliance) y el Polo Democrático Alternativo PDA-Toronto, Estamos convocando al foro público “La Crisis Humanitaria en Colombia y sus implicaciones para la región Andina y Canadá”, para el día jueves 20 de Marzo, en el Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. El propósito de dicho foro es ahondar en el análisis de la actual situación y plantearnos el accionar en Canadá especialmente en lo que tiene que ver con el tratado de libre comercio que están negociando los gobiernos colombiano y canadiense.

Thursday, March 20/08 @ 6:30p.m.
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE)
252 Bloor St. West (RM# 5250)

Speakers:
Luis Matta (CASA)
Justin Podur (Znet writer/activist)
Rusa Jeremic (KAIROS)

Organized: Colombia Action Solidarity Alliance (CASA), Polo Democrático Alternativo-PDA (Alternative Democratic Pole)-Toronto Support Group

Endorsed: CUPE Ontario International Solidarity Committee & OPIRG-Toronto

Denuncia del T LC Canadá-Colombia Frente a la Oficina del Parlamentario Liberal Mario Silva

Mayo 6 - Protesta en Ottawa Contra el TLC Colombia Canadá -

Protesta por presencia del vicepresidente del gobierno colombiano en Toronto

Jornada del 6 de Marzo en Toronto