Latin America
Related: About this forumThe far-right in Colombia
by Adriaan Alsema May 29, 2018
Colombias extreme left has long been recognized as a threat to democracy. The countrys far right, however, is at least as violent and often overlooked.
Making the distinction between democratic conservatism and fascism is difficult in Colombia. Unlike in most countrys, Colombias Conservative Party has traditionally opposed democracy.
. . .
Since La Violencia, the party has embraced democracy, but anti-democratic ideologies we associate with the far-right continue to be common, particularly in rural areas and in Medellin, the countrys second largest city.
. . .
The far rights most prominent representative in contemporary politics is former President Alvaro Uribe, who is investigated by the Supreme Court for allegedly forming a death squad and on multiple occasions has opposed the rule of law.
More:
https://colombiareports.com/the-far-right-in-colombia/
Judi Lynn
(160,527 posts)Former President Laureano Gomez (1889-1965) could be considered the godfather of Colombias current generation of extremist conservatives and neo-nazis.
Gomez radicalized his partys opposition to democracy after his return from Germany in 1932.
While in Europe, the political mogul was inspired by the rise of Adolf Hitler, and vowed to strengthen Colombias colonial class system.
The end of World War II saw a global clamp-down on fascist governments, but not in Colombia where anti-democratic conservatives like Gomez continued to govern.
Bacchus4.0
(6,837 posts)These days.
GatoGordo
(2,412 posts)... yet never any names nor political parties attached to it.
I have many relatives in Latin America. I have been to almost every single country in South America and every country in Central America. Most of the "right wing" parties (and all of the mainstream parties) in these countries are very similar to our own Democratic Party in the United States. Of the 15 parties that constitute the anti-Chavista MUD in Venezuela, not a single one is "right wing".
As for Colombia? Nearly ALL of the violence in Colombia is courtesy of the FARC membership that didn't forswear violence and renamed itself the ELN. The FARC is now complaining about violence against them... and it is coming from the ELN, not some "mythical" boogieman courtesy of ColombiaReports. The FARC admits this.
And for the last 50+ years, the poor, rural folk of Colombia have been tormented by the FARC and now, are being tormented again. By the ELN. But again, partisan news sources don't report that.