The Monument of the Resistance, a symbol of the social outbreak in Cali during the government of Iván Duque, will be officially recognized as cultural heritage of Colombia.
This was announced by the Minister of Cultures, Arts and Knowledge, Juan David Correa, during a peaceful demonstration in the Puerto Rellena sector, southeast of the capital of Valle del Cauca, this Wednesday, October 24, 2024.
The structure, which reaches 13 meters high, represents a colorful left forearm holding a sign with the word “resist.” This work, converted into a symbol of social protest, is engraved with the names of those who lost their lives during the mobilizations of 2021. The monument has become a space of memory and reflection for the people of Cali and, soon, for all Colombians. .
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«This Sunday we will come to deliver the file to begin the declaration of this monument as heritage of Colombians“said Minister Correa before a crowd of at least 5,000 citizens who gathered to support the decision of Gustavo Petro’s government. The official stressed that the recognition is not only a way to honor citizen resistance, but to ensure that they will never be harassed again.
“The resistance will never again be harassed, not as long as you live and create communions as our ancestral people did around lagoons, wetlands and the sky. You are our mirror,” Correa added, underlining the importance of collective memory and the democratic values that the monument represents.
However, the declaration has generated controversy among sectors of the opposition. María Fernanda Cabal, a senator known for her critical stance against the 2021 national strike protests, expressed her resounding rejection of the decision and announced that she will take legal action to stop the measure.
«This is not a monument, it is an eyesore that represents urban terrorism in Cali, which killed and tortured police officers, ended commerce, caused the death of a girl, among other events. I will sue the decree. “No to the apology for terrorism,” Cabal published on his X account (formerly Twitter).
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