As many Colombians have declared, the country is experiencing a historic moment. The wave of urban protests that began on 21st of November which have been organised and run by young people who are part of the precarious middle class, with women also turning out as important actors. The protests are unprecedented both in terms of magnitude and duration. On December 22nd, there were huge marches and a massive concert in Medellín, the birthplace of narco-paramilitary ‘Uribismo’ (a political ideology founded by ex-ultra right wing president Uribe). This is not part of the Christmas tradition of a parochial town that usually prefers gunpowder to protest. Something is going on.
The national strike on November 21 "for life and peace", called mainly by the workers' unions and representatives of the student movement, paralyzed almost all Colombian cities, which is a significant fact given that there are almost 50 million inhabitants in Colombia and an overwhelming majority of them live in urban areas: Bogotá, Medellín and Cali in the so-called golden triangle, the axis of industrialization in the 20th century, as well as cities such as Pereira, Manizales and Ibagué; Barranquilla, Cartagena, Santa Marta and Riohacha on the Caribbean coast; Tunja, Bucaramanga and Barrancabermeja in Boyacá and Los Santanderes; Neiva, Pasto and Popayán in the southwest; Quibdó in Chocó; Villavicencio in the eastern plains. In Bogotá, Medellín and Bucaramanga alone, almost 450,000 people mobilized.
In 550 of the 1,222 municipalities, indigenous people, Afro-Colombians, peasants, retirees, schoolteachers and other public employees, feminists, pacifists, LGBTQ people, university students (from public and private institutions) and high school students, university professors and what is left of the liberal professions participated. Although militants from the centre (Greens) and left (Polo Democrático y Colombia Humana) participated, and senators and mayors supported the mobilizations, there is no political leadership. It is worth noting that despite the fact that those between the ages of 16 and 24 make up only 16% of the total population, urban middle-class youth have dominated in almost all the marches and demonstrations.
