Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella warned Monday that his administration will not tolerate acts of violence during protests called for this Wednesday, October 14, by opposition groups, labor unions, and social organizations.
In a televised address, the president defended the right to peaceful protest but vowed a firm response against those who commit crimes, damage public or private property, or block the country’s roads.
The warning comes as the executive branch moves forward with preparations for measures to regulate demonstrations, opening a new front in the debate over civil liberties, public order, and the limits of social protest.
The government seeks to impose restrictions on road blockades and define the conditions under which authorities may intervene. These initiatives have raised concerns among opposition groups over their potential impact on the constitutional right to demonstrate.
De la Espriella warns protesters ahead of Wednesday’s marches
During his address, De la Espriella insisted that the right to peaceful protest would remain protected, regardless of whether participants support or oppose his government. According to the president, authorities must coordinate with organizers and local governments on the measures needed to ensure security, manage traffic, and respond to potential emergencies during the demonstrations.
The president argued that protests cannot be used to justify attacking other citizens, destroying property, threatening workers, or blocking ambulances and emergency vehicles. He also said security forces would act against criminal conduct in accordance with the law.
De la Espriella said that for years, “blockades were allowed to stop food, medicine, life, and work, and that was wrongly called a right.”
The president also launched sharp criticism at those calling the demonstrations, accusing them of seeking to destabilize his administration. In his speech, he referred to them as “instigators of evil” and warned that his government would not allow anyone to try to “set Colombia on fire.”
The statements heighten political tensions ahead of a day that could become one of the first major tests of street mobilization against the De la Espriella administration, which took office on August 7.
The protests will bring together labor demands, calls related to public education, and grievances from Indigenous communities and social organizations, as well as criticism of the executive branch’s first decisions.
Government prepares law to regulate protests
The president’s warning comes as the government prepares new regulations for demonstrations. De la Espriella announced that his administration would ban permanent blockades of public roads, arguing that the exercise of the right to protest must be compatible with citizens’ mobility and the operation of essential services.
“Never again a permanent road blockade. Never again a TransMilenio lane turned into a trench,” the president said, referring to Bogota’s mass transit system. He explained that the aim is to distinguish constitutionally protected demonstrations from actions that may constitute violations or crimes.
The initiative is part of the Interior Ministry’s efforts to establish rules governing police conduct during protests, including procedures for responding to violence, vandalism, and road closures.
However, the proposals have raised concerns among critics, who fear the new provisions could expand authorities’ powers to intervene and ultimately restrict social mobilization.
The executive branch is also preparing an anti-terrorism bill intended to strengthen the state’s legal tools against organizations it considers terrorist. Opposition Senator Ivan Cepeda has criticized the initiative, warning of the risk that it could be used to criminalize political dissent and social protests.
Wednesday’s demonstrations will therefore take place amid an escalating dispute over the extent of the government’s powers to maintain public order without undermining constitutional freedoms.
While the executive branch maintains that it will protect those who protest peacefully and take action against those responsible for crimes, labor unions and social organizations are preparing to take their demands to the streets.
The authorities’ response during the demonstrations will provide an opportunity to assess how De la Espriella intends to balance security, public order, and citizens’ right to demonstrate, in the opposition’s first major street-level challenge to his administration.