The president of Colombia, Abelardo de la Espriella, has announced a new security protocol to authorize the entry of the National Police into public universities during demonstrations that escalate into violent acts, a measure that has caused unrest within the university community as it is considered to undermine the independence and academic freedom granted by the Constitution to higher education institutions.
“I have given clear instructions to establish a national action protocol that allows distinguishing when we are facing the legitimate exercise of protest and when there are acts of violence, flagrancy, danger, or extraordinary disturbances of public order that require the intervention of the authorities,” the president explained.
De la Espriella has argued that university autonomy enshrined in article 69 of the Constitution – which states that universities have their own boards and are governed by their own statutes – should not be a “patent of impunity” and that, from now on, the Police will be the “primary operational authority” to address these cases.
“University autonomy is not above public order. What is happening in some universities in the country is unacceptable. Peaceful protest exercised within the framework of the Constitution and the law will be respected and guaranteed by my government, but urban terrorism, vandalism, destruction of infrastructure, and attacks against our Public Force and the civilian population are not protest,” he stated.
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De la Espriella indicated “universities have autonomy” and that it is a matter “not up for discussion.” “University autonomy does not mean autonomy in matters of public order, nor does it turn campuses into territories exempt from the Constitution, the law, or the legitimate authority of the State,” he reiterated.
Nevertheless, he emphasized that this decision will protect students and the State itself. “I will not allow public universities to continue being sanctuaries of violence under any circumstances,” he said.
“I will go after you, even entering universities to remove you and make you pay. The university is a territory of knowledge, ideas, and debate: it can never become a refuge for violence or terrorism,” he added.
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