No split in army - yet Derek James details the brutal response to the mass protest movement in Colombia and what needs to be done to avoid yet another failure A wave of protests and strikes is sweeping Colombia and is being met with brutal state repression, which has resulted so far in more than 50 deaths. The protests began on April 28, initially in response to government tax reforms that favoured the wealthy and fell hardest on the poorest sections of society. But they have now broadened into a much wider attack on the Duque government’s policies. 2 Alongside protests organised by the main trade union federation, the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores (CUT), youth movements, small-business owners, peasant farmers and indigenous people have also been mobilised.