Ecuador: President Correa asks supporters of democracy to speak out against violent minorities

telesurtv.net reported Rafael Correa called on “democracy supporters” from all political orientations to resist violent political actions.

“This week, the same people as usual, will be back with their meetings, marches and strikes. This is their way of life, while we are working hard, for the love of our country,” – Rafael Correa.

President Rafael Correa called on citizens to exercise their right to resistance on Twitter Monday, urging them to speak out against “extremely violent minorities,” referring to the mobilizations called for this week by opposition factions.

“This week, the same people as usual, will be back with their meetings, marches and strikes. This is their way of life, while we are working hard, for the love of our country,” said Correa.

Last June, right-wing opposition demonstrators began holding regular protests, mainly in the country’s two largest cities, Quito and Guayaquil. They were later joined by some opposition Indigenous factions, calling for changes to land and water laws.

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The protests were originally called in response to two bills presented by President Rafael Correa aimed at addressing inequality in the country. The bills would see the wealthy and upper middle classes paying higher taxes on inheritances and capital gains. However, many protesters also openly start calling for the ousting of the democratically elected government of President Correa, who was elected in a landslide victory in 2013 with 57 percent of the vote.

“They speak in the name of the ‘people,’ but they hardly receive three percent of the vote,” he added on Twitter. “They speak in the name of ‘resistance’ but they don’t defend any right, all they want is to impose their way at all cost, transgressing democracy and the rights of the masses.”

The president concluded his message by calling on supporters of democracy and not just his own “supporters,” to mobilize.

“As for us, let’s exercise our right to resistance against extremely violent minorities. Let’s protect our roads, public and private goods, our right to work and to free movement. To all the democrats, supporting or not the government, let’s unite against these strategies!”.

In an effort to promote dialogue, President Correa had opted to temporarily withdraw the bills and lead a conversation in the country around equity, wealth redistribution, and other mechanisms to address inequality. But sectors of the opposition, including Indigenous groups, rejected the offer and maintained violent mobilizations.

Ecuadorean Interior Minister Jose Serrano revealed in July that intelligence had uncovered a plot to overthrow the government during protests, including a schemes to storm the presidential palace, block airports, and attack security forces. Read Article