The solution is marching peacefully

In the legitimate use of social protest as a tool to demand the fulfillment of our rights, may the peaceful march live!

The violent acts that have been presented by, apparently, "members of the student marches" in recent days, are ending the goal of student protest: get more investment for education.

Leer en español: ¡Que viva la marcha pacífica!

Beyond that, the violence caused is damaging the message of what education also needs: to achieve that, with the budget that is being demanded of Duque, there is a real education system that allows people who live in the areas farther of Colombia, access to education from its territory.

With the aim of not having to travel to the main cities to study, because this situation is, for most, a great obstacle difficult to overcome economically, ending with the most important thing they have: the desire to learn.

For this reason, it is urgent that those who call the marches, as has already been done, express their rejection of all acts of violence and promote the march from peace, as those who have had the opportunity to educate themselves, in the context of Student protest, must act not from passion and anger but from reason and dialogue. Something important for the achievement of agreements between two parties, which in this case are the students and President Ivan Duque, as head of the National Government.

And is that the peaceful march, not only brings together a diversity of symbolic acts that reinforce the reason for the protest, but actually make more people join and, without having anything to do, support the demonstrations. "The protests that develop nonviolent tactics are the most indicated to achieve a greater and more extensive mobilization", highlights an investigation of the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, entitled The effectiveness of political protests: a quantitative analysis

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"The effectiveness of protests is the ability to produce, promote or channel political changes. Ideally, these changes occur in the direction expected or desired by the participants in the protests, "says university research. So, if we want a political change in the investment of something so valuable for any society such as education, the call to President Duque should be made from peace.

For example, a symbolic act of peace, which should be seen more frequently in the student marches, was the one that starred hundreds of students of the National University on October 16, when they made their protest without blocking the public road.

However, gestures of peace should not only come from the students but from the Government. A recent example was presented on October 17, when the Mobile Anti-Riot Squad (ESMAD) of Cauca handed flowers to the students while they marched. The fact was applauded by the students themselves.

When the government and students speak the same language of peace, they may sit down to talk, to listen to proposals from both sides, in favor of collective welfare in education for Colombians and in the process of curing the disease of ignorance. that affects this country so much. So, in the legitimate use of social protest as a tool to demand the fulfillment of our rights, may the peaceful march always live!

LatinAmerican Post | Edwin Guerrero Nova

Translated from: '¡Que viva la marcha pacífica!'

* The opinion of the editor does not represent the average

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