Colombians Mobilize in Support of President Gustavo Petro

The Workers' Unitary Central (CUT) called for a march in support of President Gustavo Petro on Thursday, when Colombians commemorate their Independence Day.

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The event will also have the presence of organizations such as the Colombian Federation of Educators (FECODE). Citizens will gather at Bolivar Square in Bogota at 2:00 p.m.

From this emblematic place in the Colombian capital, workers will ratify their support for Petro who will present bills to reform labor, pension and health regulations before Congress.

“All his social reforms are progressive and attend to the clamor of the population. We are summoning citizens and workers to support Petro's reforms from the squares and streets all over the country," CUT president Fabio Arias said.

The tweet reads, "Through twitter, President Gustavo Petro announced that he plans a 'great mobilization for national sovereignty' in the San Andres Islands on July 20, on Colombian Independence Day."

"Congress will have to make crucial decisions that will determine whether to pave the way for the main reforms promoted by the Petro administration or if new barriers are imposed to maintain the status quo as the big corporations want," FECODE stated on Thursday, when the new Colombian legislature begins session.

The teachers will mobilize to express their rejection of the “School Bond” bill, which promotes the commodification of education and the privatization of public services.

This bill was presented by Senator Paloma Valencia, who belongs to the Democratic Center, a right-wing party controlled by former President Alvaro Uribe (2002-2010). She proposes that poor children enter private schools, to which the Colombian State must transfer resources to pay their school fees.

Through this procedure, the right-wing legislator seeks to prevent the Petro administration from allocating a larger budget to the Colombian public education system.

"Her proposal is a new right-wing attempt to capture public resources, revive political clientelism, and do business at the cost of destroying the public education system, also taking away its secular and democratic character," FECODE explained.