Bolivia - 18 de mayo de 2026
REPORT: DAY OF STRUGGLE OF THE BOLIVIAN EXPLOITED AGAINST RODRIGO DIAZ GOVERNMENT, LACKEY OF IMPERIALISM AND THE IMF
To the outcry of: “Incapable government, why don´t you leave!
Rifle, shrapnel, the people won´t be silent!
It has been three weeks of national struggle with 67 road blockages, massive demonstrations of miners, teachers, and factory workers together with neighbors, students, and bus drivers. They marched on the government house. On May 16th, without hesitation, Rodrigo Paz sent a police-military anti-blockades operative called “Humanitarian Corridor” in an attempt to scatter the people and unblock the roads. It was a national operative. They stroke Beni, Cochabamba, La Paz, and especially El Alto where there are 20 blockage points. The access routes to the capital city, La Paz, are all fenced in by the operative.
Before this scenario, hundreds of well-equipped police and military have surrounded the blockage points. In El Alto, the exploited have made barricades. The zone of Rio Seco and Juan Pablo II Ave was disputed by the police that kept throwing tear gas and the courageous exploited that, on occasions, made Paz’s repressive forces pull back. Last weekend, after learning that Paz government had killed 4 people (like murderous Jeanine Añez) and detained 60, statements were issued, several unions and social organizations such as COB and FSTMB repudiated Rodrigo Paz government, his policy of handing in the nation to imperialism and his police-military operatives. They also demanded the liberation of the detainees.
There were self-summoned open councils, general assemblies, emergency meetings on the streets by the blockages and also at the miner centers (Huanuni and Colquiri). There, they voted to send delegations to fight in La Paz, while revolutionary El Alto, with 2019 Senkata and Sacaba’s blood still warm, and the 2003-2005 massacre in their minds, they cried one more time: “Now, civil war!” and the shouts raised with determination: “We want the president’s resignation!” Meanwhile, with their faces covered, they shoot at the air warning they are ready for a possible armed conflict and in memory of two fallen Native Authorities (comunarios mallkus Alberto Cruz Chinche and Rubén Callisaya Marca), who were murdered on Saturday morning during the operation.
Until Monday 18th rallies and unceasing assemblies continued, like the one by the rural teachers in which they affirmed: “The police has taken one of our comrades, now we will take two of them. Let the government know we have done military service and we know how to defend ourselves.” Different grassroots sectors have expressed their hatred against the treacherous leadership, since some of them were bought by the government in secret meetings in the government house as happened with the Regional Workers Union Central of El Alto (COR) and a fraction of the city teachers’ leaders. They were repudiated in an assembly for agreeing with the Minister of Education, turning their backs to the teachers. Thus, the teachers’ assembly voted: “Fighting together with the people against rights violations and the government repression.”
MAY 18TH, A REVOLUTIONARY DAY FOR THE RESIGNATION OF RODRIGO PAZ:
An independent action of the masses led by the FSTMB miners, the teachers, peasants together with neighbor councils from El Alto
During a general strike, the mass protest of social organizations, peasants, Ponchos Rojos from the 20 provinces of the Omasuyos, carrying sticks, whipalas and whips descended from El Alto towards the seat of government in La Paz to the cry of: “Now, civil war! Out with the incapable government!” Meanwhile, roads remained blocked. Futhermore, from the old highway, as part of the same struggle, the COB descended, with neighbor councils, peasants, factory workers and teachers among other organizations related to COB. Delegations from Colquiri, Huanuni and other miner districts marched to La Paz detonating dynamite as they shouted: “Out with Rodrigo Paz government! Rifle, shrapnel, the people won´t be silent!” Demonstrations came together by the generalized hatred to a repressive, jailer government, lackey of US imperialism.
When the miners got close to the access of Murillo Square (where the Seat of government and the legislative house are), they found it was strongly safeguarded with several special equipment, over 2500 police officers, the Tactic Unity of Police Operations (UTOP) and also, in case it was necessary, the armed forces with unities of the Bolivian Army, the Bolivian navy with military armored vehicles, antiriot robots, and tanks in strategic corners of Murillo Square with military police (MP).
With stones and explosives, miners tried to get in Murillo Square. They could move forward it as they made the police move backwards. The first security ring on Colon Street was surpassed by the miners who pulled out the fences. Then, a brutal crackdown broke out and for several hours the area turned into a battlefield with rain of tear gases and even snipers shooting from buildings. With firecrackers, slingshots and explosives, miners attempted once again to surpass the police shield; they made barricades and lit bonfires on different streets. The first wounded by pellets started to appear together with news of detainees. 160 people were first detained during the police intervention, tens of wounded due to the brutal repression. The hatred against the treacherous leadership who had made a pact with the government behind the workers’ back was also expressed there: the headquarters of the COR in El Alto was stoned and workers tried to seize it.
That day had some cost for the damn murderous police: a police car and motorbike were burned not far from the FELCC (special unit against crime). The department of justice court -that hated bourgeois institution- was occupied. While clashes continued, the news informed there was an order to apprehend COB leader Mario Argollo, along with others. That day, clashes lasted until 5 pm.
The oppressed masses want the fall of the regime and the government with only 6 months in power and already trembling.
The working class and the poor peasants have broken every overflow basin of the treacherous bureaucracies. They took to the streets in mass independent actions and they know that, in order to face the government´s attack, conquer basic demands, defend natural resources, the land, wage rise, they have to overthrow the pro US imperialist government of Rodrigo Paz.
MASS UPRISING IN BOLIVIA IS THE VANGUARD OF THE FIGHT AGAINST IMF, THE US IMPERIALIST AND THE “SHIELD OF AMERICAS”
Pro Trump and pro imperialism governments and regimes of Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panamá, Paraguay and Peru made a joint statement: “We reject any action oriented to destabilize the democratic order (…) the preservation of the social peace must be a priority. ”
The press denounced Milei had sent Hercules C-130 planes to Bolivia for so called “Humanitarian aid”. But it was not like that. Milei government has sent boxes with war supplies, tear gas to collaborate with the US murderous government to repress the rebel people. It is very clear. Milei and Paz are two servants of the Pentagon, Trump and his Zionist gendarme of Israel. They are aligned to the US officials who back the murderer and jailer government of Rodrigo Paz. Down with Trump and his servile governments´ Shield of the Americas!Looters, oppressors of the oppressed people.
Let’s all go to Bolivia for a Continental Congress of the workers and peasants organizations to fight against imperialism in the whole Latin America!
For delegations of all militant anti-imperialist workers organizations to go to La Paz to organize and coordinate the combat against US imperialism and its pro imperialist governments from all Latin America. Our best allies are the US workers fighting against Trump to the cry of: No kings!
US imperialist out of Bolivia and Latin America!
IMF, the US imperialist and their military bases, out of Latin America!
Bolivia will be socialist or a Wall Street colony! |
