47 lines
1.9 KiB
Markdown
47 lines
1.9 KiB
Markdown
The **Battle for Isiboro Park** was an
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[indigenous](Indigenism "wikilink") and
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[environmentalist](Environmentalism "wikilink") effort to stop the
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construction of a massive highway through a national park in
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[2011](Timeline_of_Libertarian_Socialism_in_South_America "wikilink") in
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[Bolivia](Bolivia "wikilink").
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## Background
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The Bolivian government planned to build a 177 kilometre segment of a
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larger 300 kilometre highway linking Brazil to ports in Chile and Peru.
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Bolivian capitalists and politicians (and some trade unions) supported
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the project. It was heavily criticised by indigenous and environmental
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groups.\[1\]
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## Events
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The protests began with a 500km march from the town of Trinidad to La
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Paz. In mid-September, the Bolivian government sent some 1500 riot
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police north of the town of Yucumo, with the stated purpose of
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“preventing clashes with communities along the road.” The police
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barricaded the marchers and impeded their progress for a number of days.
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On the 24th of September, the protesters broke through the barricade.
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Protestors were brandishing bows and arrows and wounded one officer and
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at one point the protestors seized Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca,
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though he was released without harm.
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On the 25th of September, riot police violently cracked down on the
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protest, firing tear gas into the crowd and beating protesters with
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batons. On Monday September 26, the Bolivian government insisted that no
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protestors had been killed, though the protesters claimed that three
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adults and one child had died in the police attack.\[2\]
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## Results
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After the massacre, the project was quickly called off.\[3\]
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## References
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<references />
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1. [Global Nonviolent Action
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Database](Global_Nonviolent_Action_Database "wikilink"): [Indigenous
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Bolivians challenge road through Isiboro Secure
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Park, 2011](https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/indigenous-bolivians-challenge-road-through-isiboro-secure-park-2011)
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2.
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3. |