Opponents Protest Abelardo de la Espriella's Inauguration in Cali

Opponents of Colombia's president-elect, Abelardo de la Espriella, staged a protest in Cali on Friday, gathering just kilometers from the inauguration venue. The demonstration took place at Puerto Resistencia, a site that became a focal point for social unrest in 2021 and now hosts a monument erected by social organizations.

Hundreds of people, many arriving by bicycle or public transport due to a city-wide 'car-free day' declared for the inauguration, converged at Puerto Resistencia. The protest was called by social organizations and the Pacto Histórico, the party of outgoing President Gustavo Petro. Attendees carried Colombian flags, and some displayed symbols associated with the demobilized M-19 guerrilla group, to which Petro once belonged.

"Today the people in Cali, despite all the atmosphere of fear they have tried to provoke and all the restrictions on movement, are arriving by bicycle, on foot, to demonstrate that these people do not follow (the ideas of) an illegitimate Government of Abelardo de la Espriella," stated Alfredo Mondragón, a Pacto Histórico representative, to EFE. He questioned De la Espriella's choice to inaugurate near Puerto Resistencia, asserting that the president-elect's message was one of "threat" rather than reconciliation.

Protesters also displayed flags of Cuba, Iran, and Palestine, signaling their support for these nations, with whom De la Espriella's government is not expected to maintain relations. Indigenous communities from the neighboring Cauca department are also expected to join the demonstration, which organizers have pledged to keep peaceful. Security forces have deployed 12,600 officers throughout Cali for the inauguration.

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¿Cuál es la insistencia de Abelardo de venir a posesionarse a unos metros de Puerto Resistencia? Puerto Resistencia existe mucho antes que la posesión de Abelardo. Abelardo no viene con un mensaje ni de reconciliación ni de diálogo, viene con un mensaje de amenaza