Ecuador condemns storming of Congress

[Judi Lynn]

Ecuador condemns storming of Congress
30 Jan 2007 19:23:17 GMT
Source: Reuters

QUITO, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Ecuador's government condemned Tuesday's storming of Congress by protesters demanding lawmakers approve the leftist president's proposed referendum on whether to rewrite the constitution.

"The government will defend citizens' freedom to protest but it energetically condemns any form of violence," presidential spokeswoman Monica Chuji told reporters.

Hundreds of supporters of President Rafael Correa wielding sticks and bottles stormed Congress Tuesday morning, forcing lawmakers out of the building. The protesters were quickly ejected from the premises by police.
(snip/)

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N30390748.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ecuador's President Calls for Socialist Latin America
by Duroyan Fertl

Global Research, January 30, 2007
Green Left Weekly - 2007-01-19

From On January 15, Ecuador’s new president, Rafael Correa Delgado, was sworn in, promising to build “socialism of the 21st century” to overcome the poverty and instability of the small Andean country.

The previous day, Correa attended an indigenous inauguration ceremony in Zumbahua, the small Andean town where he did volunteer social work in his twenties. The presidents of Venezuela and Bolivia — Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales — were present as special guests.

Correa, a 43-year-old economist, used his inauguration to call for a “citizens’ revolution”, using wealth to meet social and environmental needs, rather than maintaining the current “perverse system” that has led to over 60% of Ecuador’s 13 million people living in poverty and forced more than 3 million to emigrate in search of jobs.

“The long night of neoliberalism is coming to an end”, said Correa, “A sovereign, dignified, just and socialist Latin America is beginning to rise.”

In a speech laced with the indigenous language Quichua and references to revolutionary figures Simon Bolivar and Che Guevara, Correa called for Latin American integration on the basis of cooperation and complementarity, and called on governments to create regional legislation to protect workers’ rights.
(snip/...)

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=FER20070130&articleId=4633

[BayCityProgressive]

1. wow

Bush's head must be spinning with anger that all these socialists are coming to power! don't THEY KNOW he IS THE DECIDER????

[hogwyld]

2. If only the social storm would come here

and get rid of the rich, multinational corps, and take care of it's people!

[Heidi]

3. Kick.

:kick:

[Say_What]

4. Ecuador Protests Shutdown Congress

<clips>

Quito, Jan 30 (Prensa Latina) Ecuadorian legislators suspended Tuesday´s ordinary session faced with a multitude of people around Congress demanding an immediate call to a referendum.

Shouting “no more cheese to the Congress rats,” “we want the referendum to call the Constituent Assembly,” and waving flags of Ecuador and several social and political movements, thousands of demonstrators demanded the referendum.

Faced with the siege and threats to occupy the building, from Ecuadorians from all the country´s provinces, the congressmen had to leave through the back door, guarded by security forces.

One of the first legislators to come out was Legislature President Jorge Cevallos, amid extreme security measures when it was learned that students broke the police cordon in one of the streets neighboring the building.

A group of protesters was able to reach the patio, but withdrew shortly after a teargas charge by the police.

http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID={B17B0C3D-BFE3-482D-96E9-6A8DAF2BFE27}&language=EN


Demonstrators stand atop a riot police water cannon during clashes near the Congress building in Quito. The demonstrators, who support the government of President Rafael Correa, stormed the congress building - -which had to be evacuated -- demanding to the lawmakers to approve the creation of a constituent assembly.(AFP/Paul Navarrete)