The USA is arming fascist Bolivian paramilitary groups to crush pro-democracy protests
Photo Credit: (The Grayzone / Google Images)
Written by: Aidan Jonah
Telesur News has reported that the Bolivian coup regime has begun to mobilize far-right paramilitary groups, in response to a country-wide general strike launched as a response to the coup regime delaying elections for a third time.
Interior Minister Arturo Murillo has made daily threats and ultimatums to the social movements, saying several times that he would put an end to the blockades “in the coming hours.”
Fernando Camacho has issued an ‘open letter’ to Jeanine Añez on August 9, threatening to mobilize the violent extremist groups which carried out the protests against Evo Morales, if the regime fails to crush the pro-democracy protests.
Other armed, white supremacist and far-right groups have published similar threats on social media, saying they vow to evict the Indigenous and union- organized blockades—all with the backing of the regime.
Bolivia’s Ombudsman, Nadia Cruz, has reported that Bolivian police have “turned to irregular civilian groups with a para-police and paramilitary character”, in an attempt to crush a general strike launched by the campesino workers unions.
“Organised paramilitary and civilian groups are trying, once again, to bring bloodshed and violence to Bolivia,” said union leader Leonardo Loza, speaking to Kawaschun News.
What led to the general strike? What’s happened so far?
The former president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, was deposed in a coup led by Christo-fascist paramilitary leader Fernando Camacho, on November 10, 2019. Quick elections were promised by the new coup regime, led by Senator Jeanine Anez, however these elections have not occurred nearly nine months later.
Meanwhile, the Bolivian coup government had an extremely poor response to the COVID-19 crisis, which led directly to the loss of many lives. It cut off many of Morales’ successful social programs and infrastructure projects while also accepting an IMF loan and pushing to privatize Bolivia’s national mining company.
On July 7, a poll came out showing MAS candidate Luis Arce leading the US-backed candidate Carlos Mesa by 15 points in the presidential election, which was set to occur on September 6. The Grayzone reported that:
“Mesa is currently listed as an expert at the Inter-American Dialogue, a DC-based think tank funded by the US government’s soft-power arm USAID, various oil giants, and a host of multi-national corporations active in Latin America.”
Eight days later, Camacho issued a desperate appeal to the Organization of American States. arguing that “we [Bolivia] must not allow the elections to become an act of resurrection for MAS.”
This was an open call for the OAS to launch a second coup and violate the sovereignty of Bolivia yet again, should Arce win the presidential election.
On July 23, Bolivia’s electoral board, which is filled with coup regime loyalists, postponed the elections–supposed to occur on September 6 – for the third time in four months.
Monthly Review Online reported that the tactic of roadblocks and an indefinite general strike were agreed upon on July 28. They explained that:
“pressure measures were approved in the town hall held on July 28 in the city of El Alto, at the end of a massive march that converged on La Ceja, in which, together with the Central Obrera Boliviana, the National Confederation of Indigenous Women of Bolivia ‘Bartolina Sisa’, the Unique Federation of Workers of La Paz ‘Tupac Katari’ and other youth and neighbourhood organizations participated.”
The government retaliated by launching intimidatory criminal proceedings against the top executives of the COB, Juan Carlos Huarachi, Congresswoman Betty Yañiquez, and former President Evo Morales, for crimes against public health, public instigation to commit a crime, and other criminal offences.
On August 3, the full road blockades and nationwide general strike began, with the explicit goal of ensuring that the presidential election would occur on September 6, as originally scheduled. On August 4, the blockades had spread across the entire country, with rural governments and teachers’ unions declaring their full support for the movement.
That day, violent threats began to pour in from right-wing extremists and christo-fascist groups, after Interior Minister Arturo Murillo threatened to violently put down the protests unless the blockades were removed.
On August 5, the Christo-fascist paramilitary group, Unión Juvenil Cruceñista, which served as the muscle for the coup against Evo Morales, and was for years led by Fernando Camacho, released a video in which they threatened to attack the protesters demanding elections.
The same day, the coalition against the coup regime, declared that Bolivia’s electoral court was refusing to negotiate from its new election date of October 18, and confirmed that the general strike would continue.
The next day, Resistencia Juvenil Cochala, another fascist group, warned the trade union that their gang is ready to attack protesters and has ’60 motorbikes’ ready to be mobilized.
By August 9, social movements and trade unions were stressing that they now wanted both democratic elections to occur as regularly scheduled, along with the resignation of Bolivia’s coup regime, including Jeanine Áñez, the unelected coup president.
However, Ollie Vargas, a reporter for Kawsachun News, said that “currently the gangs are only around 100 to 200 in number, and are unable to hide within the crowd, as they did during the coup against Evo Morales, due to a lack of support from the Bolivian people.” Though he warned not to underestimate the willingness to attack the protesters, making it clear that media attention on the coup regime’s actions are important in forcing them to think hard before attacking protesters.
The Fascist Collaboration begins
In an interview with Kawsachun News on August 7, Evo Morales stated that he was warned by soldiers within the army, that their Generals are planning a second coup d’etat, and the establishment of a military dictatorship, with the assistance of fascist paramilitary groups such as Camacho’s UJC. Morales warned that snipers were sent to El Alto and the Chapare to carry out a siege against the roadblocks in the Tropico and in Yapacani, to work with the military and police forces.
Morales also warned that the USA recently sent two military aircraft with weapons to the Bolivian military, and hinted that they were almost certain to receive more military equipment from the Americans over the next few weeks. Kawsachun News has reported that the military and fascist paramilitary groups have collaborated on numerous occasions, meaning that American arms are almost certainly falling into the hands of paramilitaries.
Yesterday, Bolivia's Defense Minister, Fernando Lopez, expressed support for the christo-fascist paramilitary group 'Union Juvenil Cruceñista'. Lopez said "They [UJC] will know what to do...they need to send a message to Bolivia."
Later that night, the UJC was part of a band of fascist paramilitary groups which attacked protesters from the general strike, injuring three people.
The USA’ arms shipment to the Bolivian military, is a move reminiscent of the early stages of aid given by the USA to the genocidal Contras in the 1980s, and to the rabid US-armed anti-communist militias and Indonesian military, which worked together to slaughter more than a million communists in Indonesia during 1965 and 1966.
In Indonesia during 1965 and 1966, the US assisted the military and paramilitary groups in slaughtering millions of people, by providing the military with kill lists. As a result, more than a million people were murdered, many of whom were not even communists, which was the sociopathic argument which was used to justify the killings.
During the 1980s, the CIA secretly funded the far-right extremist group “The Contras” in Nicaragua, along with other death squads in El Salvador and Guatemala. The paramilitary group in Nicaragua killed 30,000 people, while 70,000 were murdered in El Salvador, and more than 100,000 were murdered in Guatemala.
In 2009, after Honduran President Manuel Zelaya implemented limited social reforms, the United States backed a vicious military coup, which was only possible due to the assistance of paramilitary groups. Even in 2016, strong allegations were made by Honduran activists, that company--operated militias had murdered environmental activist Berta Cáceres, noting that this was just the tip of the iceberg.
This list barely breaks the surface of the dozens of US-backed coups against any remotely leftist government. The Jakarta Method, written by Vincent Bevins, details how the US and Europe have funded these extermination squads ever since the Cold War began, There is a clear historical pattern of the US backing coups, and funding anti-communist death squads across the world. The Canadian left must recognize this and exert significant pressure onto the Bolivian coup regime, and the US government, in an effort to intimidate them into deciding against backing right-wing paramilitary groups, and force them to accept the will of the Bolivian people.
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