Colombia court set on fire amid nationwide protests

The Palace of Justice in Tulua in Colombia's southeast was set ablaze Tuesday night and one 18-year-old protester suffered a fatal gunshot wound, national police and local authorities announced Wednesday. 

A cross remained visible on Wednesday amid the smoldering ashes of Tulua's Palace of Justice after daytime protests in the city turned violent when night fell..

Jorge Vargas, the director of Colombia's National Police, announced the death of Camilo Andres Arango at a press conference Wednesday and said that the day's peaceful protest turned violent in Tulua when two unknown assailants attacked police with rocks before charging at the Palace of Justice. 

The representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Colombia, Juliette Rivero, called for an investigation into the teenager's death.

What do the protesters want?

While the protesters in Colombia might lack a leader or single unifying cause, the nationwide protests can be attributed to the economic crisis brought on by the pandemic as well as what protesters say is the need for police reform in Colombia.

The protests may have shrunk somewhat in size since they began on April 28 but they endure. Currently 73 road blockades set up by protesters have led to critical shortages across the country.

Colombia was also in its fifth day of a general strike Wednesday. Chants at protests have included "the state is an assassin" and "long live the general strike!"

A former finance minister has stepped down and some protesters have turned their sights to forcing the resignation of Defense Minister Diego Molano.

Protesters have also convinced the government of conservative President Ivan Duque to put unpopular tax and health care reforms on hold.

Why have some of the protests turned violent?

Daytime protests in Colombia have a festival-like atmosphere as trade unions and citizens march with banners and signs to drumbeats and music. With nightfall though, the mood tends to shift.

Protesters complain of tear gas, stun grenades and even live fire at night whereas police assert the greatest amount of vandalism and unrest occurs at night.

In Tulua, mayor John Jairo Gomez said, "Regrettably a group of people without love or respect for our city or its people has vandalized the city, causing damage to infrastructure and transportation, such as stop lights and traffic indicators."

Colombia is still emerging from more than half a century of civil war that killed over 200,000. In 2016, the government made peace with FARC guerrillas and the economy began to recover as the country opened to tourists before the pandemic hit.

ar/msh (AFP, dpa, EFE, Reuters)