A demonstrator is hit by a jet stream of water from a police water cannon during a protest demanding action from President Gustavo Petro’s government on social, environmental and security issues in Bogota, Colombia (AP photo)
In a tense protest outside the US embassy in Bogota, Colombia, four police officers sustained injuries on Friday when demonstrators launched arrows and explosives, according to local authorities. The protest was organized by a group known as “Congreso de los Pueblos” (People’s Congress) to oppose the policies of US President Donald Trump.Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan reported that some protesters, who were masked, targeted the embassy with incendiary devices and arrows, resulting in injuries to officers’ faces, legs, and arms. The defense ministry revealed that an officer had an arrow embedded in his arm.
“Delinquents, some of whom were hooded, attacked the embassy with incendiary devices, explosives and arrows,” said Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan. “Four police officers were wounded in the face, legs and arms,” he added.Jimmy Moreno, a spokesperson for the protest group, explained that the demonstration aimed to assert Colombia’s sovereignty and criticize US involvement in various global issues, including the situation in Palestine, interference in Latin America, and threats against Venezuela’s Bolivarian model.The protests, which began earlier in the week at different locations across Bogota, escalated to violence on Friday. Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, who has had disagreements with Trump, urged caution regarding the US embassy in a post on the social network X. He noted that a more radical faction had attacked police, resulting in injuries from arrows.While the protest group expressed alignment with Petro’s stance, they also called on the government to establish “an anti-imperialist front.”