International Women’s Day Commemoration in Bogotá: March, Activities, and Controversy

2024-03-09 01:04:00

This Friday, the main march in commemoration of International Women’s Day in Bogotá left the Ministry of Labor towards the Plaza de Bolívar, where artistic activities would take place. The mobilization left for its destination around 5 p.m. and reached its final point without problems. However, around 7 p.m., the lights in the square went out to the point that the marchers turned on their cell phone flashlights.

Later, the marchers noticed that they closed access to the plaza from the seventh and eighth races. What followed then were roars and tear gas and the women began to run. The coexistence managers, meanwhile, tried to intervene and tell the women to avoid running and try to walk slowly. But many wanted to leave the place.

Activists and women marchers have questioned the mayor of Bogotá, Carlos Fernando Galán, regarding the actions of Esmad, which they consider disproportionate, since the mobilization took place peacefully and they do not know the reasons why the uniformed men intervened in the demonstration.

“The demonstrations do not disperse before proceeding to dialogue. Gas is only used as a last resort and if there is violence,” said President Gustavo Petro on his Twitter account.

What is commemorated on 8M?

On March 8, 1857, one of the first public demonstrations of working women took place. That day thousands of women took to the streets of New York with signs bearing the slogan “Bread and Roses,” demanding the reduction of working hours, improvement in working conditions, and the eradication of child labor. In 1909, March 8 was declared National Women’s Day in the United States.

The following year, on March 8, 1910, women gained access to higher education in Spain. That same day, at the Second International Conference of Socialist Women, the fight for women’s suffrage was reiterated and Clara Zetkin, German director, declared March 8 as International Women’s Day, which in 1975 would be welcomed by the UN.

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