JOAQUIN SARMIENTO/AFP via Getty Images 26 May 2021 In late April, Colombia watched as peaceful demonstrations against an ill-timed tax reform turned violent. The ensuing riots spanned several weeks and engulfed almost every major city in the country. The flat-footed administration of President Iván Duque eventually rescinded the unpopular policy. But that didn’t matter. The violence raged on as groups of rioters systemically burned public transportation, defaced and pulled down cultural monuments, vandalized private property and places of commerce, and injured nearly 900 police officers. It was soon apparent that the tax issue was merely a pretext for violence. That story should sound familiar.