Riot police sent to National University in Bogota

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Colombia Reports

Riot police sent to National University in Bogota
Thursday, 14 April 2011 15:27
Jim Glade

Anti-riot police were dispatched Thursday to break up protests in a Bogota university that are said to have been provoked by guerrillas embedded within the student protest groups.

The Mobile Anti-Disturbance Squadron of the police confronted protesters outside of the National University in the capital city, and were met with resistance, including home made bombs, one of which managed to injure a police officer.

RCN Radio reported Thursday morning that during a student protest , 30 suspected guerrilla members, known in the Colombian media as "hoods," embedded themselves within student protest groups and stormed the university campus wearing Che Guevara t-shirts. They subsequently began destroying surveillance cameras, windows and doors on the property.

~snip~
Tensions have been high in public universities across the country since March after President Juan Manuel Santos proposed a new education reform that allows for private organizations to fund public universities.


Read more: http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/15616-riot-police-sent-to-national-university-in-bogot

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Right-wing governments always claim leftists are responsible whenever something happens they don't like. If they suspect people are angry but nothing happens which they can blame in leftists, they send in provacateurs to raise hell, THEN claim leftists did it.

[COLGATE4]

1. This hardly rates a headline. Student disturbances, which generally

devolve into riots are a staple on Colombian university campuses, and have been so for at least the past 60 years. Protests are generated by any event which can be fashioned to create temporary outrage - reform of curriculum, a hike in the fares paid for public transportation, etc. etc. This isn't newsworthy in any sense.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Earlier story: Mass student protests in Colombia

7 April 2011 Last updated at 18:44 ET
Mass student protests in Colombia

Hundreds of thousands of Colombians have joined street demonstrations against the policies of President Juan Manuel Santos.

Students and lecturers protesting against proposed university reforms were joined by trade unionists demanding improved conditions.

~snip~
Students groups are opposed to government plans to bring private funding into the public university system.

Trade unions are demanding measures to reduce unemployment, as well as more action to protect union activists from attack.

More:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-13006084

Regarding the union workers in Colombia, it's neccessary to know, since our corporate media won't mention it, Colombia has a long record of killing more union workers than the rest of the world combined. Also, the murders go uninvestigated, unprosecuted, a long-standing hideous problem in Colombia.