Protestants March in Bolivia

By Martin Suso
Santa Cruz, Bolivia

September 15, 2008:

Christian churches in Bolivia have started speaking out about the difficult situation in their country.

Catholic bishops made a public document in which they recognize with unusual clarity that Bolivia is going through a process of necessary changes and moving toward the inclusion of marginalized people. They also state that xenophobia and racism have gained strength recently.

Diverse groups that included evangelical churches organized a protest in the main streets of different cities. I had the opportunity to participate in the one in Santa Cruz de La Sierra. Close to 5,000 people, mostly youth, walked from a central park to the immense statue of Christ, a traditional place for mass gatherings.

There was great diversity in the groups, who identified themselves by color. Every group had a bus with a musical group and some dancing. (Among the unusual symbols was a flag from the State of Israel.)

This important concentration of protesters offered the city a necessary respite after a tragic week, which included multiple attacks by groups opposed to the national government who looted, set fires, and closed institutions and were supported by local authorities and the press. In that environment, anyone daring to opine against the business leaders and large landholders, who operate like feudal lords, was threatened.

Among the protesters from the evangelical churches you could see hundreds of Bolivian flags — not a minor detail, considering that the government of Santa Cruz flies the departmental flag, not the national one, as a sign of independence from the rest of the country.

The week that started bad ended worse, with a massacre of farmers in one of the other departments hostile to president Morales. The right is placing their bets on unseating the president, but they are also draining the patience of a population fed up with abuse.

News agencies reported that the evangelical march lasted three hours and concluded under the statue of Christ the Redeemer with a lecture on the unity of the country and the need for Bolivians to leave peacefully.