Colombia: Hundreds of thousands join nationwide anti-government protests

According to colombiareports.com, one million people took part in the first day of anti-government protests on Monday, according to strike organizers who expect an even bigger turnout on Tuesday when teachers and health workers join the country-wide protests. The high number is disputed by authorities. The protest organizations’ estimate is in stark contrast to that of the government, whose Interior Minister Fernando Carrillo told press that 60,000 people had taken to the streets and that the situation in the country is “under control.” The real number of protesters is impossible to define, as the initial protests took part mostly in the rural areas of Colombia and alongside highways. Read article