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| Rally welcoming Correa on June 15th |
On June 15th, thousands of supporters of Ecuador’s
“Citizens’ Revolution” convened outside the Plaza Grande in Quito to welcome
Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa back to the country. The night before
right-wing opponents of the Ecuadorian government made some attempts to block
traffic from the airport to prevent Correa’s arrival in Quito. The President
was returning from CELAC-EU meetings in Belgium.
Last week, a series of demonstrations occurred, spurred on
by support from opposition politicians with ties to Ecuador’s old neo-liberal
regime friendly to US interests. The initial pretenses for the protests, was a
newly tabled “Wealth Redistribution Law”. The corporate media in the country
claimed that the new taxes would negatively impact working class families and
small businesses, however the new inheritance taxes being introduced will only
have an effect on the wealthiest 2 percent of the population. Telesur has
reported on the details of the proposed laws:
“The law provides a progressive taxation schedule, meaning
those inheriting more will pay more. Only three out of every 100,000
Ecuadoreans will ever receive an inheritance greater than US$50,000….
The highest tax rate of 47.5 percent, charged on
inheritances above US$566,400, is in line with those charged throughout the
world, and lower than those charged in countries such as Japan. Apart from only
affecting two percent of the population, the law provides for important
exemptions and deductions. For example, if the inheritance involves the
transfer of a home, the non-taxable amount doubles from US$35,400 to US$70,800.
The law also allows the inheritance tax to be paid via stock to workers of a
company, democratizing the means of production and the state does not receive
any money in these cases.”
Ecuador, through the “Citizens’ Revolution”, has managed to
lift more than a million people out of poverty. However, inequality still
remains very high, with Ecuador in the 132nd spot out of 160 countries. The
progressive tax reform is being implemented to realize the new Ecuadorian
Constitution which states that: “The primary duties of the state are planning
national development and eradicating poverty, promoting sustainable development
and equitable distribution of resources and wealth in order to bring about Good
Living."
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| Reactionary protests in Ecuador. Signs read: "No more dictatorship", "My work is for my sons", "Correa out" |
At the June 15th rally after his return, Correa challenged the opposition: "Show me how this law affects the poor and I will personally ask for it to be withdrawn". But Correa and many Ecuadorians do not see the protests as
really about this law in particular. They are part of a broader reactionary
movement against the ongoing processes for sovereignty in Latin America.
President Correa is referring to these protests as a destabilization attempt and
part of a planned coup. There was already an attempted coup against Correa’s
government in 2010. The demonstrators themselves are not limiting their message
to opposition to the new tax law. They are calling for the ousting of the PAIS
government and President Correa. They have adopted a black flag, to symbolize
their mourning over the supposed “death of democracy”. Black also happens to be
a favorite colour of fascist movements. The main sectors of society being mobilized in these protests are from
wealthy neighborhoods. There has been violence at these protests, including the
injury of a former Minister, who was struck by a glass bottle on the head.
There are many parallels with the coup attempts in Venezuela
in 2014, where the right mobilized violent protests that led to the death of 43
people. This violence was in turn used by the United States to justify
sanctions against Venezuela for supposed violations of civil rights, and also
for the now totally discredited claim that Venezuela was a “threat to the
national security” of the US.
South American countries standing up to imperialism have faced growing internal pressure, which is being directly and indirectly supported by the United States and their allies. This includes the belligerent role of Canada’s Harper government which has publicly criticized the Venezuelan government, met with and financed Venezuelan opposition groups, and has been implicated in the latest February 2015 coup attempt in that country. There is an immediate need for progressive and democratic forces in Canada to stand in solidarity with movements and governments in the Americas which are moving away from centuries of colonial and imperialist rule towards self-determination and sovereignty. This includes putting forward the demand that Latin America be considered a “zone of peace”, free from interference by Canada, the US, and other imperialist forces.
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| Participants at 18th World Festival of Youth and Students, held in Quito, Ecuador in December 2013 |
In 2013, seventy youth from Canada attended the World Festival of Youth and Students held in Quito, Ecuador. This anti-imperialist
meeting of youth was a venue for the exchange of ideas and experiences from
around the world. Participants at the Festival met with Ecuadorian youth who described
their country’s struggle for a more social and pro-people society with
sovereignty over its own affairs. The international solidarity between young
people in the Americas at that meeting is needed now to help mobilize against
this reactionary coup attempt, and similar efforts to roll-back revolutionary
processes on the continent.
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