Guatemala Protests, Is There Hope For Change?

Last week has been a tumultuous one in Guatemala. Amid the scandals of corruption and inequality that plague the country, a new, organized protest rose. Deciding to take action, the farmers of Guatemala, known as the “campesinos” have blocked 25 different routes throughout the country. The campesinos hope that blocking the routes will force authorities to hear their struggle. However, despite their protests being acknowledged by both the rich and the powerful, it there is no change to come in the near future.

Guatemala, which has a population of 15 million, the largest in Central America, is ethnically segmented, with 60% of the population of mestizo/European descent, and the remaining 40% being indigenous. Despite mass emigration during the 1980’s Guatemala’s population continues to rise. The country is also demographically divided, with half of Guatemala’s population living in Urban areas. Wealth inequality is very present in Guatemala, with rural indigenous communities struggling with things such as drinkable water and child mortality.The Committee for the Unity of Farmers, which is the organization responsible for the blocking of roads, is mostly composed by these poor, rural indigenous farmers.

By blocking the roads, the campesinos hope that the country’s congress would repeal certain laws, which they quote “go against the campesino lifestyle.” These laws include the “Law of Mobile Telecommunication Control in Centers Free of Liberty and Fortification of the Infrastructure for the Transmission of Data” and “Law for the Circulation of Roads Free of Obstacles.” The first of these passed in April of this year, and hopes to prevent clandestine telecommunication for the country’s penitentiaries while at the same time speeding up the process of creating new, official telecommunication towers. The second law, which passed in March of this year, bans any type of unofficial obstacles in roads, such as speed bumps created by communities.

At the same time, the campesinos protested to pressure lawmakers into passing legislation that would benefit their communities. They encouraged congress to pass the “Law of Integral Rural Development” which would create a new ministry that would focus on everything related to the development of campesino communities. Despite these protests right outside their door, Guatemala’s congress has remained silent on the issues brought by the protesters.

After three days of blocked roads, the main business organization of the country, the Ascabi, demanded the campesinos to lift their block on the roads. They claim that the three days of road blocks have led to losses of about 150 million Quetzal, or 20 million US dollar. The Ascabi also claimed that blocking the roads was also a violation of the citizen’s right to free mobility and trade. There was no mention of the campesino’s demands in the organization’s response.

Despite wanting to be heard through protests, it seems the campesinos have not made any significant advance in their struggle. Many in Guatemala see this inaction by part of the government as a reason to start a change in Guatemala, stating that enough is enough. Twitter user “Mr. Lord Chapin” took this initiative to the web, creating a very successful Twitter trend. #RescatemosAGuatemala (Let’s Rescue Guatemala), has been tweeted around 5,000 times, a very impressive fact considering that 54% of the country lives in poverty, and many do not have access to the internet. The Twitter movement hopes to bring awareness to the widespread poverty and corruption the country is facing. Despite the campesinos’ failure to bring immediate change, the country is going through a phase of self-awareness, which some hope will rescue Guatemala from inequality and corruption.