Karla Koll, a Presbyterian mission co-worker in Guatemala, sends an on-the-scene report of demonstrations against the legislature's approval of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). At least one demonstrator has been killed, apparently by police.

News update from Guatemala

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

I don't know how much news is being reported outside of Guatemala as to what has been the reaction here to the legislature's approval of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). I want to share a little bit about what's happening.

Last Wednesday, March 9, the legislature held the first reading of the bill to ratify CAFTA. That day I drove into the capital city to teach my class in the afternoon. However, as I tried to cross the center of city, I found the way blocked by police in full riot gear. That day the police tried to disperse the protesters with tear gas and several people were injured by police.

The next day, the legislature passed the ratification of CAFTA by declaring the bill a matter of national emergency. The popular movements, led by the teachers' union and the campesino organizations, called for a series of escalating protests, leading to a national strike on Monday.

On Monday, protests were held throughout the country. Here in Quetzaltenango, protesters blocked all of the entrances into the city. They held a peaceful demonstration in the central park. By 3:00 PM, traffic was circulating normally and I was able to hold class. In the capital, the protests began peacefully. However, some among the protesters painted graffiti on buildings, particularly restaurants of US fast-food chains. Around mid-day the protests turned violent. Accounts vary greatly as to whether the police or the protesters started the aggression.

Yesterday, the leaders of the social movements met in the late afternoon with the vice president. Protests were suspended in capital, but continued in some places around the country. I spoke with Judith Castañeda, the general coordinator of CEDEPCA, yesterday morning. We concluded that it would not be prudent for me to travel to the capital this week to teach class, given the tense situation in the country. Yesterday, a teacher who was part of the protests, was killed in Colotenango. Today the protests continued, though things have been normal here in Quetzaltenango.

I find it more that coincidental that a huge McDonalds opened up on the west end of Quetzaltenango the same week. CAFTA aims to open markets in Central America up to transnational corporations. Guatemalan companies and farmers will not be able to compete with US firms under the terms CAFTA establishes for trade. The government, rather than promoting a broad discussion of CAFTA with different sectors of the population, has used lots of propaganda to push CAFTA. There was no discussion of the substance of the treaty in the legislature. This government, with close ties to the business sector, is not interested in public opinion.

The protests are likely to continue over the next two days. Friday is the tradition Huelga de Dolores, a student movement that holds a parade with political content in the capital city. The Huelga, unfortunately, is often accompanied by acts of vandalism, both in the capital and here in Quetzaltenango.

I ask for your prayers, that further protests will be peaceful. I urge you to get informed about CAFTA, which must be passed by the US congress in order to enter into effect. I believe that CAFTA will have disastrous effects here in Guatemala, especially for those sectors of the population that make their living through agriculture. I've pasted below a piece distributed today by Catherine Gordon of the PC(USA) Washington Office.

Karla
 

Also . . .

Guatemalan anti-free trade protester shot dead
16 Mar 2005
Source: Reuters

For the Reuters news report >>

Also available on the web site of the Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA >>