Thousands march against the FARC-EP

February 4, 2008

Thousands of people in more than 160 cities around the world marched today in protest of the actions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The protests were convoked via the popular social networking website Facebook under the name "One million voices against the FARC" (Spanish: Un millón de voces contra las FARC).

The majority of the protesters gathered in Colombian departments, such as Bogotá, and in the cities of Caracas and Maracaibo, in Venezuela.

The protests kicked off with Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and were followed by Beijing, Sydney, Tokyo, Singapore, and Paris.

The protests were organized by a movement called "I am Colombia" (Spanish: Colombia Soy Yo), under the motto "No more kidnappings, no more lies, no more deaths, no more FARC."

The FARC is a Marxist-Leninist guerrilla organization, considered a terrorist group by more than 30 countries around the world, and has more than 8,000 members occupying almost 20% of Colombia's territory. It claims to represent the rural poor in a struggle against Colombia's wealthier classes and opposes United States influence over the country.