In Peru, the struggles of the class conscious teachers within the SUTEP to isolate opportunist and state-conciliatory positions manifested in two calls to debate how to approach this matter. In their call, the Teachers' Youth Committee states:
We must fight to take the leadership within the trade union, taking up the reorientation and reconstruction of the basis and isolate the opportunist and electoral constraint of the Patria Roja and expose the revisionists and opportunists of FENATEP, with Castillo Terrones at the helm,, who took the lead in the historic strike of 2017 by betraying it for the promise of recognition of their FENATAP by the government, followed by the 2018 strike where they again betrayed the Peruvian teachers.
We must call attention to the teachers from the class who do not want to take over the leadership of the trade union, enough of this hesitation. We reaffirm the principles of class-based trade-unionism to overcome the present moment that our union, the Sutep, is going through.
In Chile, the hunger strike of the political prisoners of the Mapuche in Angol, Temuco and Lebu prisons is continuing, breaking the 80 day threshold. While their health situation becomes worse day by day the solidarity campaign to support their struggle has reached new heights.
At several points, roadblocks were erected by armed detachments. In the morning of July 27, families and members of the villages took over the public buildings in all the municipalities of the province of Malleco, in addition to the municipality of Temuco. At the same time marches and broad variety of forms of actions are developing.
Two days ago, the 25th anniversary of the Heroic Resistance of the Peasantry of Corumbiara, Brazil, was celebrated by the League of Poor Peasants. On August 9, 1995, the old Brazilian state, in collusion with the big landowners, attempted to commit a massacre on the 600 families living in the former Santa Elina ranch. However, they delusion of having an easy time assaulting the peasants were shattered, when they organized fierce resistances and engage the reactionary forces in what became known as the Battle of Santa Elina. More then 11 peasants were murdered over two hundred wounded by bullets or scarred psychologically by this attack. Several disappeared. That this number has not been greater is only due to the strong resistance organized despite being outgunned.
About 20 activists from various parts of Rondonia- students, lawyers and peasants - gathered this Sunday, to commemorate those who died that day and to denounce that the murderers and torturers still go unpunished with no compensation given to the families either.
A new call denouncing the electoral farce as well as its candidates and calling for combative actions has been issued by the comrades in Ecuador. Under the slogan "Don't Vote, Prepare People's War" they state:
- Generate awareness that the only thing we will have with this elections, in addition to contributing to the consolidation of the old democracy, that the only thing we will achieve, is to place a group of miserables in the government who will be in charge of playing, trafficking and negotiating with pain, hunger, misery and suffering of the great majority. [...]
- Militarization of the organizations of peasants, workers and other masses. Militarize actions against elections and their actors.
- Forced blockades. Prevent the free movement of all the actors that promote the elections. Interrupt the process with combative blockades.
People of Ecuador: It is not enough to announce or to call NOT TO VOTE, it is important to develop actions that promote the BOYCOTT OF ELECTIONS. If we move ideas, let it be to trigger action, transformation.
With unemployment in the Colombia reaching 21.4% in May due to the crisis, particularly impacting the 47% of the population working in the so-called informal sector, many families can’t afford their rent no more. Hence, hundreds of families occupied previously unused land in Soacha, a municipality located south of the city of Bogotá. However, on June 25, notorious riot police ESMAD forcefully evicted the settlement of 800 families, killing a 15-year-old boy, Duván Mateo Aldana. Because their situation remains unsolved hundreds on July 6 took to the streets, blocking the central highway leading to Bogota.
