Univalle en pie de lucha

"for our fallen friends - not a minute of silence."

Its 9am and with a hint of dejavu im in the internet Cafe across from the CAM tower in cali from which i reported last year.

It feels like a lifetime has passed since yesterday´s march though sitting in this cafe last year feels like yesterday... I think that´ll be from not having slept. The march was the biggest ive ever witnessed in Cali and the biggest there has been for many years according those present due to the unusually unity of students administrative and the rarely seen academic staff. It started at the Uni, the front carrying coffins, followed by the pacifying presence of the indigenous student groups whilst the a soundsystem bundled onto a pickup truck took up the rear leading deafening chanting and blasting revolutionary hip hop in the dychotomous fashion i have come to recognise as quintesentially colombian.



Incredibly, and like friday´s march we barely saw a single cop, and those that we did made sharp exits. The trek to town is a long one and on the way we grew as more people arrived from other unis in different cities, blocking intersections to dance, shout, hand out information and paint the walls so that everyone knew why we there. As we arrived at the palace of justice, our feet weary, the heavans opened dicharging upon us an apocalyptic rainfall. Far from dampen us down things this seemed to enliven people, who soaking wet, turned up the voltage, chanting and jumping, bustling through the streets.

The marched culminated Ermita church, a emblem of cali across the river from the CAM in the town centre. The students occupied it.

As banners went up inside we surrounded the outside of the bulding and blocked the road. The objective of occupation is that those responsible for the assassination of Johny Silva resign from their posts and are brought to justice. It is way of maintaining a permanent demonstration and pressure on the authorities to keep with thier promises and to make public the demands by choosing such a prominent location. The students vowed to continue the occupation until the three demands set out by the assembly were met.



The first tasks once the 40 odd ocupants were inside was the creation of four commissions - logistics (food & water for those inside and out), communication (press, national & international organisations), securtiy (for the students in side and those percieved as leaders outside) and negotiation team made up of representatives of the students, the university supreme council, the defensoria del pueblo, the municipal government and the police.

As night fell and the permanent accompanyment of the occupaton began the soundsystem was set up at the church door to inform people of progress and to keep us animated with music. Meanwhile the food crew were making a fire in the street and getting cooking as tarps arrived to make shelters from the rain. I found it strange that in a country where they assassinate you for doing critical research or disappear you for being an activist that the police did not imediately move us off - as they would have done in the UK the moment that an unlicecend music system made a peep. The feeling was thus from the start one of victory, empowerment, and with students workers and teachers present one of unity and frindlyness. Through the morning more peopll have been arriving, EMCALI workers have turned up to give support, a huge EMSIRVA truck pulled up to provide free fresh drinking water, whilst taxis and cars beeb horns and wave thumbs up in support. Of course, a revolutionary atmoshere does not mean demands will be met, this depends on the negotiations going on today from which there has been no news. This could go any way. Even the governors support of the students is by no means a gaurantee since the president may simply step in as was the case with the CAM tower last year.

Taking a building however, whether it achieves the specific aims such as the resignations or not is a reaffrimation of student power, and a rejection of the ongoing and repression that has until now kept the university community both divided and quiet. Thus this action, this reaction of the university comunity against the police taking things too far is much more than the demand for justice on this one case. It is the remobilization of students in Cali against the deeper violations of university autonomy brought about through physical and financial repression driven by central government.

The stakes have been raised.