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Demonstrators play drums during a protest demanding government action to tackle poverty, police violence and inequalities in healthcare and education systems, in Bogota, Colombia May 12, 2021. REUTERS/Nathalia Angarita NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES
BOGOTA/CALI (Reuters) -Union members, students, pensioners and workers marched in anti-government protests around Colombia on Wednesday, as President Ivan Duque urged citizens to reject violence and stereotypes about demonstrators and police alike.
The sometimes deadly demonstrations were initially fueled in late April by outrage at a now-canceled tax plan. But protesters’ demands have expanded to include an end to police violence, economic support as the COVID-19 pandemic batters incomes, and the withdrawal of a health reform.