On Dec. 28, Luis Fernando Camacho was arrested on a warrant set forth by the MAS government, charging him as a principal organizer of the 2019 Coup d’état and a terrorist leader among Bolivia’s reactionary movement.
Yet, since his arrest has arisen over La Paz, reactionaries take to the street, clashing with the institutions and police of MAS, committing human rights violations and civil unrest to protest against Camacho’s detainment. The right has again thrown Bolivia back into another social crisis in defense of their cause to maintain the right’s status quo and resist the progressive wave of societal transformation in the making; organized by the President Arce and the MAS administration, and the nation’s popular classes and marginalized communities.
Despite the legitimate accusations against Camacho and the state is organizing an ongoing investigation, Camacho’s supporters are in a hallucinatory hysteria, mobilizing roadblocks, demonstrations, and committing arson and violence against the local institutions and communities. Although, this situation is not shocking, Camacho’s supporters are Bolivia’s most active reactionary social base in the country, primarily derived from the municipality of Santa Cruz he previously governed.
It was recorded by People's Dispatch, that the organizations leading the civil disobedience are the Santa Cruz Youth Union (UJC) and Pro Santa Cruz Civic Committee; these dissidents alone have organized an arson attack on Banco Unión, a nationalized bank. Attacks have also been committed against the Departmental Police Command, “with molotov cocktails, firecrackers, sticks and stones.” Unfortunately, in this same attack, a group of local women holding a vigil for Camacho were attacked by the same reactionary dissidents.
While the ongoing violence continues, the state has called on the police to counter these dissidents. From the local institutions to the even national tv, condemnations are being thrown at Camacho’s supporters. Unlike, the coup that overthrew Evo Morales and MAS, the state action against Camacho is not a betrayal of the democratic will of the popular classes; Evo was voted into state power by the popular consensus at the ballots, Camacho was one of the few who felt the coming of Evo would destroy his reactionary vision for Bolivia, so he organized an unpopular coup against Evo, and in extension against the nation. Coups are never initiatives from the popular masses, these social movements are undemocratic and work to solidify the dominance of a small, violent minority of reactionary groups.
It’s ironic to watch this situation unfold, seeing Camacho trying to violate Bolivian democracy and repress MAS, but then four years later, he’s the one whining about his “undemocratic” arrest organized by the MAS administration, but as witnessed, the popular masses support this intervention, and instead condemn Camacho’s followers' terrorists and dissidents against democracy. This is truly interesting to realize that the left in the imperial core is condemned as dissidents, but in Latin America in countries like Bolivia, the left is seen as the people’s state actors and social representees; why? Because the left has earned their respect and leadership among the popular classes and marginalized communities, they walk with the people and lead the transformation of society knowing the people will have their back.
It’s inspiring to see this reality, the left in imperial core has a long way to go if they seek to one day be on the side of the popular masses, condemning with them the real dissidents and terrorists of society, the right.
If you seek to understand more details, read People's Dispatch article on the situation, called, Bolivian far-right groups continue retaliatory attacks on public infrastructure.