Bogotá: Teachers, doctors, priests, communicators, mothers and accountants, make up the so-called First Line that, together with the young initiators of this idea, are the protagonists of the mobilizations taking place today in Colombia, Prensa Latina publishes.
Since the violence against the anti-government protests began in the context of the national strike, a group of young people began to lead the marches to defend the rest of the protesters from the police repression.
Considered the heroes of these days, they are protected with glasses, some with gas masks or scarves, construction or sports helmets and improvised shields to avoid injuries that may be caused by the repressive actions of the Riot Squad (Esmad).
Within its norms it is also to help those mobilized who are left behind affected by tear gas, injured or those who are at risk of being attacked by members of Esmad.
At the same time that they consider themselves a counterpart of this elite police group, they seek to prevent peaceful demonstrations from being infiltrated by vandals, causing havoc in the country to justify the repression of those in uniform, according to various opinions.
‘The surprise: all these guys have political training. A few acquired it from books; the rest took three hard subjects: hunger, injustice and exclusion, the columnist for the newspaper El Espectador Julio César Londoño, said.
As a result of the protesters’ need for protection, other Front Lines emerged: that of teachers who defend and care for students, that of mothers who protect their young children, that of clerics who seek peace, that of the doctors who care for the wounded or the communicators who amplify the voice of the people.
Now the First Accounting Line is added that was born from the social outbreak that the country has involved in a fight for the rights of all, for the need to build and leave the comfort zone and to move from social networks to the action.
‘We, as the professionals who make it possible for the resources of organizations and individuals to flow to the State, who with our daily work try to strengthen the finances of a country in crisis due to corruption, today we want to set a precedent ‘, its members expressed.
We want to unite our fight with the people who, since April 28, have put their chests to bullets, tear gas, Esmad water jets, police brutality, infiltrations by groups with special interests, vandalism of some who take the opportunity to delegitimize the words of an entire tired and overwhelmed people, they stressed.