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COLOMBIA'S KILLINGS: THE BRITISH CONNECTION 10- 5 Sat 7 February 2009 SOAS, London

A lefty seminar for anyone who's interested and in that part of the world:

COLOMBIA’S KILLINGS:

THE BRITISH CONNECTION

10am – 5pm Saturday 7th February 2009

A one day event exposing British complicity in the ongoing Colombian conflict

Khalili Lecture Theatre, School of Oriental and African Studies, Russell Square,

London WC1H 0XG

Speakers Include:

MP JEREMY CORBYN on British Military Aid

RUTH TANNER War on Want

RICARD SOLLY Colombia Solidarity Campaign

CARLOS CRUZ POLO DEMOCRATICO The Main Colombian Opposition Party

PAUL DOWLING on BP

MARLON MINA persecution of students movements

JULIE NICHOLSON on Indigenous Rights

HELENA PEREZ NINO Sexual Violence as a weapon of war

JULIO MAYOR Latin American Workers Association

DR. MARIO NOVELLI University of Amsterdam on Education and Democracy

Suggested donation: £4 waged, £2 unwaged

The decades-long conflict in Colombia continues to take the lives of its citizens, bring oppression on voices of dissent and displace tens of thousands of people. It has been widely portrayed as a conflict between left-wing guerrillas, cocaine drug barons and the government.

What is missing in the mainstream account is the influence of external actors. The actions of the British Government and British multinationals fuel the conflict and perpetuate the human rights abuses and political murders carried out by the Colombian Government and right-wing paramilitaries.

The UK gives an undisclosed amount of military aid to the Colombian Government whilst British companies profit from their plunder of natural resources from the Colombian countryside.

This event aims to raise awareness of British involvement in Colombia and highlight aspects of the conflict that are less well known. These include issues such as the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, the criminalisation of political opposition, oppression of students, and violence perpetrated against indigenous groups.

Here in the UK we need to recognise that this is not simply another conflict in another part of the world. It is one that Britain is complicit in. It is therefore our responsibility as residents of the UK to play our part in preventing human rights abuses and continued human suffering.

Engage in the issues of the Colombian conflict and the role that Britain plays - with a view to challenge it.

For more information and advance registration please contact: colombiaskillings at googlemail.com

By Alma del Norte on Jan 24, 2009, 09:17 in Politics & the war.