graciaenarabe:#Repost @amazonwatch・・・For a second day, thousands of indigenous peoples and a collect
graciaenarabe:#Repost @amazonwatch・・・For a second day, thousands of indigenous peoples and a collection of civil society organizations took to the streets of Quito last night to protest the policies of President Rafael Correa’s government. The march came as scattered road blocks and protests continued in the Andean highlands and the country’s Amazon region. A massive march Friday night was met with brutal repression and violence, leaving dozens injured from tear gas, and several—including indigenous leaders—detained and beaten by police. Organized by CONAIE, Ecuador’s powerful national indigenous organization, the march had been explicitly organized to be peaceful, but after a pre-emptive tear gassing on the narrow streets of Quito’s historic old town, and attacks on police by masked infiltrators, it erupted into violence. After prohibiting any type of bandanas or masks before Friday’s march and thereby hindering any infiltrators’ ability to hide their identity, yesterday’s march occurred without incident.CONAIE and supporters have vowed to remain in the streets until the government scraps proposed constitutional amendments that threaten indigenous rights, raise taxes, allow for indefinite re-election of the presidency, and open ecologically fragile and culturally sensitive areas to new oil and mining extraction, among other issues. They are currently occupying the Arbolito Park in downtown Quito.Today, President Correa declared a national state of emergency allegedly due to the rising activity of one of Ecuador’s largest volcanoes that spewed ash over Quito this week. The decree will mobilize the military across the country, would allow for the suspension of certain civil liberties as needed, and places certain restrictions related to the emergency on press and social media. March organizers see the move as a clear pretense to crack down on the ongoing protests, and use a possible suspension of constitutional rights to further repress and restrict what are normally constitutionally guaranteed activities of freedom of speech and right to assemble. -- source link