Colombian President Gustavo Petro led the commemoration of the 97th anniversary of the Banana Massacre in Ciénaga, Magdalena, an event that combined reflection on the role of the State, remembering history, and a call to safeguard labor rights in Colombia.
The Colombian leader emphasized that the lessons of the massacre of workers on December 6, 1928, remain relevant today and paid tribute to the victims. One of his most emphatic speeches focused on the role of the Public Force, as he reiterated what he stated when he went to New York to participate in the United Nations General Assembly: “The military forces only obey the president as long as the Constitution is respected; when an order goes against the Constitution or against humanity, no member of the military should obey it,” Petro said, linking current situations with historical events.
The president pointed out that current geopolitical challenges are similar to the pressure the United States exerted before the 1928 massacre. “It seems like the same times,” he stated, guaranteeing that today, unlike before, the government is “on the side of the workers.”
Gustavo Petro also recalled that the Banana Massacre took place after threats of foreign intervention were made if the Colombian government supported striking banana workers. In response, he declared, “Today, the president of Colombia is not Abadía Méndez; today, the president stands with those who work.”
Furthermore, the head of state emphasized the approval of the labor reform as a fundamental success and called for its implementation throughout the country. He also requested that banana workers’ unions participate in the process to ensure that the law “does not remain a dead letter” and asked for the reinforcement of labor inspections with thousands of workers.
The president recalled that, in the 1980s and 90s, banana industry workers in the Urabá region were victims of violence, noting that at least 3,000 workers were murdered by paramilitary groups, some of whose members remain alive. He stressed that truth, reparations, and compensation are still lacking.
In his message to Caribbean youth, Gustavo Petro emphasized the importance of knowing history to avoid repeating it: “Memory allows us to avoid repeating mistakes. Songs shouldn’t speak of drug traffickers, but of the moons that bathe the working people.”
The day concluded with a call to protect life and labor dignity: “Are we going to return to the massacre, or are we going to make labor reform a reality? May the memory of those who fell here unite us so that never again will uniformed personnel be ordered to fire on the working people.”
IMAGE CREDIT: In his message to Caribbean youth, Petro stressed the importance of knowing history so as not to repeat it. Photo: @petrogustavo
[ SOURCE: teleSUR ]
