Thousands of Colombians peacefully rallied across the country Oct. 14 against far-right President Abelardo de la Espriella's policies. They criticized his proposed social spending cuts, his alignment with Trump, and his hardline military approach to decades of armed-group violence. Earlier this month, de la Espriella announced a "counterterrorism statute" that many fear could restrict democratic rights. (TNH)

Throughout the past week, hundreds of Colombians also gathered in front of Bogotá's National Museum to protest the government's recent decision to remove works of art that it argued promoted terrorism. Protesters were brutalized by riot police, who used tear-gas to disperse them. President de la Espriella announced the move last week during a speech in which he declared a wider war against "wokismo," which he called a "freedom-destroying movement." Of the nearly 50 works removed from the museum, the vast majority were works dedicated to LGBTQ+ issues, women's rights, the 2016 Peace Agreement, and Colombia's popular social movements. On Oct. 19, a judge in Bogotá temporarily ordered the Ministry of Culture to refrain from removing more works from the museum, citing the need to protect "historical memory." (NACLA Update)