They're Killing Us Like Dogs: A Massacre in Bolivia and a Plea for Help

[Judi Lynn]

November 24, 2019 Medea Benjamin

“The military has guns and a license to kill; we have nothing.” – A Bolivian mother shot by police

By Medea Benjamin

I am writing from Bolivia just days after witnessing the November 19 military massacre at the Senkata gas plant in the indigenous city of El Alto, and the tear-gassing of a peaceful funeral procession on November 21 to commemorate the dead. These are examples, unfortunately, of the modus operandi of the de facto government that seized control in a coup that forced Evo Morales out of power.

The coup has spawned massive protests, with blockades set up around the country as part of a national strike calling for the resignation of this new government. One well-organized blockade is in El Alto, where residents set up barriers surrounding the Senkata gas plant, stopping tankers from leaving the plant and cutting off La Paz’s main source of gasoline.

Determined to break the blockade, the government sent in helicopters, tanks and heavily armed soldiers in the evening of November 18. The next day, mayhem broke out when the soldiers began teargassing residents, then shooting into the crowd. I arrived just after the shooting. The furious residents took me to local clinics where the wounded were taken. I saw the doctors and nurses desperately trying to save lives, carrying out emergency surgeries in difficult conditions with a shortage of medical equipment. I saw five dead bodies and dozens of people with bullet wounds. Some had just been walking to work when they were struck by bullets. A grieving mother whose son was shot cried out between sobs: “They’re killing us like dogs.” In the end, there were 8 confirmed dead.

The next day, a local church became an improvised morgue, with the dead bodies–some still dripping blood–lined up in pews and doctors performing autopsies. Hundreds gathered outside to console the families and contribute money for coffins and funerals. They mourned the dead and cursed the government for the attack and the local press for refusing to tell the truth about what happened.

More:
https://orinocotribune.com/theyre-killing-us-like-dogs-a-massacre-in-bolivia-and-a-plea-for-help?fbclid=IwAR3tz5gOFx-mirHEHHWHq6JLSsq4vhKs0r8TDKEoPy9rysat6xRlJvI58fk

[dewsgirl]

1. And since the Trump regime backed this coup, they certainly

won't lift a finger to help. Heartbreaking.😔