| Espacio Bristol-Colombia is collective of people
working in solidarity with Colombian social activists, communities
and human rights defenders, who face threats, murder and imprisonment
as a result of their struggles for another possible world. We
are part of the Red
de Hermandad y Solidaridad con Colombia (Network of Friendship
and Solidarity with Colombia), a space for coordination between
various Colombian and international groups. We invite people who would like to help with organizing events,
actions and creative projects or who would like to volunteer in
Colombia accompanying organizations and communities to get
involved.
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Current accompaniers from Espacio in Colombia
For news from Bristolians currently volunteering with Colombian social organisations see the following indymedia updates:
Colombia:
Beyond Petroleum
More
climate news
Communities plan for life
Friend gets death threats
Three threats in five days
March for war
Homage to victims of state terror
Agro-fuels and gold mining: the human cost
Bristol speaker gets death threats
Archived reports from Guayusa Andina and Guayabo Pastuso, who are working with communities affected by oil exploration are available at the blog
venid a ver
Since early 2008, Frog Lover has been accompanying social organisations and working lon the impact of agro-fuel crops. See her blog bio-duels
Guarapo Meloso arrived at the end of March 2008 after a period in Mexico. See his blog las cartas marcadas
Agro-fuels and climate chaos

Colombian organizations recently held a Climate Justice Tribunal,
which highlighted how climate chaos has the worst effects for the
poorest populations and is a
consequence of a system based on economic growth and huge levels of consumption
by those who can afford it. The promotion of agro-fuels was also high on the
agenda. Agro-fuel crops, especially African Palm, now cover large parts of the
Colombian countryside, with small-scale farming communities and the production
of food staples being violently displaced by right-wing paramilitary death squads
to make way for agro-industry and monocultures. The Tribunal called for grass-roots
social movements to unite in radical action against climate chaos and capitalism,
and not wait for ‘solutions’ from an establishment that is part of
the problem. More info…
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Twin with a threatened Colombian in BP’s
oil exploration zone

Espacio helped organise a recent international delegation which found that
army
units protecting BP’s installations are still murdering
rural community members, whilst the British oil giant continues to reap ecological
destruction. You can read the report here (Spanish version here). You can help prevent this violence and support people in the region by twinning with a Colombian under threat under the Pen-Pal Protection Plan.
More info on BP in Casanare
More info on becoming a pen-pal
Police brutality: justice for Jhonny
Silva

Some of us were part of a delegation to Colombian universities in September
2005, and present at a peaceful student protest during which
riot police killed the student Jhonny Silva. It took two years for
the Colombian authorities to begin to investigate the case. Please take action
to make them feel the pressure from outside Colombia. Most human rights
violations by the state forces and paramilitaries remain in impunity,
which
gives the green light to keep killing protesters - so it’s really
important to keep up the pressure, even years later. More info coming
soon....
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