BOLIVIA: A MULTITUDE HAVE CORNERED THE PRESIDENT AND HIS TANKS
Econoticiasbolivia

 http://www.econoticiasbolivia.com
Translated by: Latinsol
La Paz, October 16, 2003 (17:00).- At least a quarter of a million workers and residents of almost every popular neighbourhood from El Alto and La Paz have surrounded the Government Palace and are giving the last chance to the most hated and dammed man in their national history, the wealthy Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, to resign the Presidency and leave Bolivia.

The gigantic mass mobilization, that has filled for over eight hours the center of the city, was more numerous, better organized and more radical than the imposing recent manifestation.

In San Francisco square, the multitude gathered on an open people's assembly at noon today, and agreed to deepen even more the social mobilization throughout the entire country and advised all men and youth to prepare themselves for street combat against tanks and machine gun.

"We must dig trenches in every neighbourhood, on every block, we must raise pickets of self defence groups", said the miner Jaime Solares, leader of the Bolivian Workers Central (COB), who advised everyone to sustain the siege of the Palace, guarded by war tanks, precarious trenches and extremely tens army personnel. There, they fear the beginning of the battle.



PATIENCE IS RUNNING OUT

"This is going to be a long battle", responded Solares to the voices of university youth who wanted to immediately start the assault of the solitary Government Palace, located four blocks away from San Francisco square.

Since the worsening of the crisis, Sanchez de Lozada is cornered in the presidential residence located in the residential area of San Jorge, in the south of the city, several kilometres away from downtown. A huge group of protesters want to head towards there to once and for all do away with the "magnate", with the "dammed gringo", as the President is known on the blood tainted areas of El Alto and La Paz.

Unlike yesterday, today chanting repeated by a multitude are more radical: "civil war now, civil war now", men, women, elders and children yelling and raising thousands and thousands of wooden sticks, with which they are confronting the genocide and brutality.

The speeches are radical and they all say the same: The gringo must go!. They all say the same, but they don't say how, or when. The people are desperate, they want more, they want to do away with the President once and for all. The leaders try to calm down the tumultuous, impetuous grass roots base, and advise on maintaining the siege, to remain on the streets, keeping pressure over the Palace, taking over the downtown area, exerting power, in vigil.

The speeches are over, there are marches through the central streets, and many are assuming their positions, controlling almost every downtown corner. Others are going back to their neighbourhoods, many are just arriving, rushing, breathless, yelling "civil war now".

Right in the middle of it all are the miners, the coca growers, the peasants from the south, university students, factory workers, teachers, pensioners, merchants and youth, lots of youth. On some streets there are confrontations, tear gas, precarious barricades and burning of tires. Some people overcome by gas, some are bleeding. On other streets, coca growers from Yunga and residents of Villa Fatima share bread and refreshments with the police. There some exchanges, talks and smiles.

It is the popular up-rising of multitudes, with contradictions, a hole human swarm that is getting tired of waiting for the gringo to go away. Many are saying "We must kick him out, and send him away".

"We need to wait some more still", responded some middle level COB leaders advising on the arrival of more reinforcements, peasants, merchants and coca growers who are coming from Cochabamba, Oruro and Potosi. The protest is also wide on those districts, there is strike, marches and rebellion.



A COMMON FRONT

Others who await are sectors of the middle-high class, the intellectuals, human rights activists, professionals, who have already raised thirty some hunger strike pickets in temples and churches in almost all cities around the country.

In the residential neighbourhoods people also demand the resignation of the President, with vigils around churches. They also march, escorted by the police, asking for Sanchez de Lozada to go. And with that, there is a common front taking place on the streets between popular sectors and the accommodated classes to end the massacre.



UNCERTAIN WAY OUT

"We can't accept more killings, we want to work and the only solution is for the President to leave", says an improvised protest leader. They also fear that the up-rising turn into a social revolution.

That is why they emphasize that "the way out must be a constitutional succession", around the same lines as what the former ombudsperson says, as well as human rights activists and those who support the Republic Vice-President, Carlos Mesa, who today has distanced himself much more from Sanchez de Lozada. "I don't have the courage for killing", says to take some prudent distance from the massacre.

Among those at the higher end of the social pyramid there is also solidarity with the peasants heading to San Francisco square. That solidarity becomes brotherhood in the popular neighbourhoods. On the hillside there are heroes welcome, brothers welcome. The residents open their homes to the coca growers and peasants, and share their bread and coca, before the battle.

"All the miners are advised to immediately head to la Paz", demands the leader of COB, preparing for Sanchez de Lozada and, in particular, the United States Embassy, to push the troops to the slaughter and the workers and residents of El Alto to the assault of the sky.

The evening is setting in, from the presidential residency, the minister of Defence, Carlos Sanchez Berzain confirms, through the catholic radio Fides, that the President will not resign and that those who are asking for his resignation "have no chance of winning".