Despite President Lasso's recent conciliatory speeches, the Police prevented the entry into Quito of buses carrying Indigenous citizens who wished to participate in a peaceful mobilization.
On Wednesday, militants from the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) and the United Workers Front (FUT) will be mobilized in the streets of Quito while their leaders meet with President Guillermo Lasso to discuss solutions to the country's economic crisis.
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As a condition of attending the government's headquarters, CONAIE requested that the meeting be public so that citizens can see what really happens and both parties are subsequently accountable. This request is due to the fact that an earlier closed-door meeting with the government was a failure due to the lack of binding commitments.
Besides warning that they would not back down in their rejection of fuel price increases, CONAIE and FUT demanded that Lasso, a former banker, clarify his involvement in the Pandora Papers scandal.
“We expect true democratic participation and demand real attention to our proposals and alternatives to deal with the current crisis,” the Indigenous confederation stressed.
8/. “All of us are warriors of nature & today all of us must come together because Mother Nature is asking for our help"
— Stefan Simanowitz (@StefSimanowitz) November 8, 2021
An indigenous leader from Ecuador at #COP26
Indigenous communities around the world speak 4000+ languages
At #COP26Glasgow they are speaking with one voice pic.twitter.com/2Nz9m72nPz
Almost at noon on Wednesday, CONAIE President Leonidas Iza, FUT President Nelson Erazo, and other social leaders arrived at the Carondelet Palace, where Lasso welcomed the social delegations and said he wanted to achieve an "atmosphere of peace and tranquility."
Despite his recent conciliatory speeches, the Police prevented the entry into Quito of dozens of buses carrying Indigenous citizens who wished to participate in a peaceful mobilization called on Tuesday
Once the session started, the right-wing President asked the press to leave the room where the dialogue would take place. Although Iza and the other social leaders criticized that decision, they did not abandon the meeting.
#Ecuador is experiencing a tense situation amid protests to reject the measures that President Guillermo Lasso seeks to impose and in repudiation of his implication in the Pandora Papers. pic.twitter.com/k2av4iaGUa
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 19, 2021