Clashes in Colombia as hundreds of thousands protest against government

[Judi Lynn]

Teargas fired in Bogotá as protesters battle riot police
Demonstrators show support for historic peace accord
Joe Parkin Daniels in Bogotá
@joeparkdan

Thu 21 Nov 2019 17.02 ESTFirst published on Thu 21 Nov 2019 16.55 EST

Hundreds of thousands of Colombians have taken to the streets in a show of support for the country’s embattled peace process with leftist rebels – and to protest against its deeply unpopular government.

Pensioners, students, teachers and union members joined marches across the country in one of biggest mass demonstrations in recent years.

In the capital, Bogotá, police helicopters whirred overhead, while riot police fired teargas at protesters who had blocked bus routes before dawn. Despite torrential rain, thousands of people thronged the city’s historic Plaza de Simón Bolívar, singing the national anthem.

The marches began in Bogotá largely without incident, although a few clashes broke out near Bogotá airport between protesters and riot police around midday. As the rain cleared, more confrontations broke out across the city in the early evening. Explosions could be heard across the city. Teargas was fired in the Plaza de Simón Bolívar and at the campus of the National University, where protesters battled with security forces.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/21/colombia-protests-ivan-duque-government