“Even faith wants to expropriate us”: the country reacts to the hooded men who protested inside the Primate Cathedral of Bogotá

Last Sunday, March 20, young hooded men decided to interrupt the religious ceremony that took place in the Primate Cathedral. With posters in hand, citizens demonstrated within that space, however, they were forced to leave by church officials. What happened generated dozens of reactions on social networks, including from different politicians in the country. The protesters read messages in which they questioned several of the conjunctural situations surrounding the Colombian community.

“Peace? What peace are we talking about? When we forget to love each other. The peace of the secular country of ideological impositions. The country that annihilates the hopes of the peoples. That weeps the blood of sisters and brothers. This is the first performance of RAR”, is read in one of the trills in which a young woman is seen standing on one of the benches of the cathedral. The woman, with a piece of paper in her hands, read that same message.

“The church is a fascist, controlling and sexist institution,” was added among the harangues shouted by the protesters.

According to what is read in that Twitter profile, the RAR is the 'Network of Artists in Resistence'. That collective points out in their account that: “We scream and poetize in the face of the unjust, they have fire in their weapons, we fire in our hearts”. Precisely, before the viralization of the video of the controversial protest, that profile of that social network warned of its realization. “We will walk this path together from the street and dignified anger, from academia and reflection, from art and collective creation, our struggle continues to grow day after day”, the account also appears under the classification of 'restricted'.

The parish primacy of the Primada Cathedral, Father Jorge Marín, commented before the microphones of the local news program CityTV that, “they entered with masks and took part in the benches to participate in the celebration, like anyone else. And when communion was about to begin, they hooded up right there, stood on the benches and started shouting harangues. But it was not understood what they were asking for or what movement they were from.”

Despite the fact that this Twitter profile is known, the National Police is currently investigating the identity of the perpetrators. Likewise, it is expected to discover whether these acts are related to the so-called Frontline.

Federico Gutiérrez, through the same social network, condemned the events and did not miss the opportunity to throw a whistle at the candidate for the presidency of Colombia, Gustavo Petro. “Even faith wants to expropriate us! And so, by combining all forms of struggle, setting fire to the country and attacking those who think differently, they intend to win and govern us. For Colombia, for our families, for our future... We are going to defeat them in the first round,” he wrote.

Petro was not far behind and replied: “We put freedom of worship in the Constitution, Uribism, desperate, slaps it. I ask the Catholic Church to initiate criminal action against these people.”

The messages between the two candidates for the head of state continued when Fico added: “It seems that it was useless if you went to see the pope. To God begging and with the mallet giving. This is an aggression on faith and free worship. That's what your supporters do. But if you want we'll discuss it tomorrow in the debate (from RCN News). Though they tell me you're going to be missing again. Is it true?”

Claudia López, mayor of Bogotá, for her part, said that she rejected the actions of those people. “Respect for freedom of religion and worship is the foundation of our peaceful coexistence. Those who attack her by imposing themselves exercise the same violent break they claim to criticize. Bogotá rejects this act and supports the attacked church in any legal action it decides to take,” he wrote.

According to Father Jorge Marín, the staff of the Cathedral asked the young people to leave the space and to respect the Catholic celebration that was taking place and the faithful who had attended. Initially it was not possible to reach an agreement, he details, so he had to call the Police who was in the Plaza de Bolivar. The moment, the religious recalled, lasted between three or four minutes. Mass continued normally at the end of the protest.

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