Solidarity with grassroots organisations’ response to the COVID-19 crisis in Guatemala **Español abajo** They say that viruses don’t discriminate, but as COVID-19 sweeps across the world it has become ever more clear that this is not the case. Populations who have faced historical discrimination and marginalisation are far more vulnerable to both the health, social and economic impacts of the global pandemic. Guatemala is one such country, where the virus has exposed the harsh realities of social and economic inequalities. The ultra-conservative, military aligned government, imposed a quarantine on March 22nd, ordered for the closure of all non-essential businesses, declared a ban on public gatherings and imposed a police and military enforced curfew. Nevertheless, in a country where 79% of the workforce rely on the informal economy to make a living and only 20% of people have access to social welfare of any description, means that 80% of people have been left without their means to make a living and feed their families or government support. Voluntary initiatives have been set up across the country to provide basic food and other essential supports for whole communities who have effectively been abandoned by the state. One such initiative is the ‘White Flag’ campaign, where families who have run out of food can ask for help by flying a white flag outside their homes. Neighbours and community organisations have responded in force to this cry for help, despite their own stretched resources and the repression they have experienced from the government who have objected to such initiatives but without providing any alternative supports to desperate people. The Latin America Solidarity Centre Ireland and the Galway Feminist Collective are requesting your support to fund these life-saving acts of solidarity in Guatemala with a small donation that will be administered by the grassroots indigenous rights organisation, the People’s Council of K’iche (CPK). GUATEMALA’S WHITE FLAGS Grassroots organisations respond to the COVID-19 crisis More than 60% of Guatemala’s 16 million inhabitants live in conditions of poverty, this is exacerbated in indigenous territories, where the peoples have been historically excluded by the racist state of Guatemala. In the Quiché department more than 75% of the population lives in conditions of poverty and extreme poverty. One out of every two children suffers from malnutrition. The white flags, a symbol of hunger in Guatemala, have been flying since the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis. They have become a last resort of families struggling to survive, who use the flag as an urgent request for help and food during the government imposed lockdown. The most impoverished families began to fly white flags from their homes in rural regions that have been. As the State imposed quarantine and curfew has prolonged, more and more white flags appear each day: the final hope of thousands and thousands of families unable to work or leave their houses and who might, otherwise, starve. Instead of responding to this demand, the government is criminalizing the families and those helping them, who are not only faced with the lack of food and water, but are also living under military repression and harassment from state security forces for daring to highlight the hunger that families are experiencing. The government wants to silence them through fear. Under the current restrictions to work and movement the use of flags is becoming a widespread practice, alerting neighbours to emergency situations: Red flags are used for older adults who need medicine or food and the black flag hung out for alerting situations of violence against women. The expression of reciprocity among the humblest, but also most caring people did not take long. A number of caring initiatives have begun with people of little means, given what they can to support their neighbours in crisis. These expressions of solidarity have turned into a powerful movement across the different rural regions territories of the country, with various communities, families, youth with initiatives, responding to the white flags and the emergency in the face of government inaction. In the department of Quiche, the white flags are everywhere and people have responded to their call in equal measure. Youth brigades and community councils have been organizing to collect food and respond to the most urgent needs. The K’iche People’s Council for the Defense of Life, Mother Nature, Land and Territory (CPK) was founded in 2007 to confront the impacts of the Free Trade Agreement between Central America and the United States. The CPK is made up of communities who have organized to defend our collective rights as indigenous peoples, our territories, our right of self-determination and our right to preserve our way of life which is deeply connected to mother earth and our right to water. We also campaign to end violence against women. Our organisation is based on democratic participation processes through community assemblies. We campaign against extractivism and transnational corporations for the dispossession and plunder of land and resources and the territorial destruction they cause. The CPK has joined the ‘White Flag’ community resistance in a number of ways including solidarity actions, communications, reporting and demanding for justice, particularly because the K'iche territory has been historically excluded and communities are at greater risk . "We recognize that confronting the pandemic and dealing with quarantine is a challenge for all humanity, but confronting the pandemic through violence and by denying the most vulnerable access to their livelihoods, electricity, water, food, and housing, is profoundly racist and exclusionary and that is what is happening to the majority of the population of the K'iche' territory.” For this reason, one of the most urgent campaigns is the “Together against COVID19” initiative, which is collecting food, money and medicine. A collection centre has been opened and communication efforts to demand justice and denounce violence against women, children, elderly women as well as military violence against more vulnerable communities, have been expanded. This is how the CPK are  directly supporting communities most affected in the current crisis. Aura Lolita Chávez Ixcaquic, May 2020 ... Dicen que los virus no discriminan, pero a medida que COVID-19 se extiende por todo el mundo, es cada vez más claro que este no es el caso. Las poblaciones que han enfrentado la discriminación y la marginación históricas son mucho más vulnerables a los impactos sanitarios, sociales y económicos de la pandemia mundial. Guatemala es uno de los países donde el virus ha expuesto las duras realidades de las desigualdades sociales y económicas. El gobierno ultraconservador, alineado con el ejército, impuso una cuarentena el 22 de marzo, ordenó el cierre de todos los negocios no esenciales, declaró la prohibición de las reuniones públicas e impuso un toque de queda vigilado por la policía y el ejército. Sin embargo, en un país donde el 79% de la fuerza laboral depende de la economía informal para ganarse la vida y solo el 20% de las personas tiene acceso al bienestar social de cualquier tipo, significa que el 80% de las personas se han quedado sin sus medios para ganarse la vida, alimentar a sus familias y sin ningún apoyo del gobierno. Se ha establecido iniciativas voluntarias en todo el país para proporcionar alimentos básicos y otros apoyos esenciales para comunidades enteras que han sido efectivamente abandonadas por el estado. Una de esas iniciativas es la campaña de las "Banderas blancas," donde las familias que se han quedado sin alimentos pueden pedir ayuda al colgar una bandera blanca fuera de sus hogares. Los vecinos y las organizaciones comunitarias han respondido con fuerza a este grito de ayuda, a pesar de sus escasos recursos y la represión que han experimentado por parte del gobierno que se ha opuesto a tales iniciativas, pero sin brindar ningún apoyo alternativo a las personas desesperadas. LASC y el Colectivo Feminista de Galway solicitan su apoyo para financiar estos actos de solidaridad que salvan vidas en Guatemala con una pequeña donación que será administrada por una organización de base derechos indígenas de base, el Consejo de Pueblos K'iche (CPK).   BANDERAS BLANCAS EN GUATEMALA. como se está generando respuesta organizada a esta crisis. Guatemala es un país donde más del 60% de los 16 millones de habitantes viven en condiciones de pobreza, esto se agudiza en territorios que han sido más excluidos históricamente por el Estado racista de Guatemala. En el departamento del Quiché más del 75% de la población vive en condiciones de pobreza y extrema pobreza. Uno de cada dos niña-os sufre de desnutrición. Las banderas blancas, símbolo de hambre en Guatemala, como último recurso de las familias sobrevivientes, es un pedido de auxilio y urgencia de alimentos, Iniciaron a ondear en las casas más empobrecidas en territorios olvidados por el Estado, por falta de alimento cada día salen más y más banderas, tras el confinamiento expresado por la pandemia COVID19, las banderas blancas es la esperanza final de miles y miles de familias,  el gobierno en lugar de atender esta demanda está criminalizando y generando prejuicios de ataque en contra de las familias que no solo tienen que vivir el confinamiento sin agua y sin alimento, sino que tiene la represión militar del toque de queda y el rechazo del gobierno de Guatemala por expresar públicamente situaciones de hambruna. Pues el gobierno lo que quiere es silenciar a través del miedo. Ahora se ha popularizado el uso de banderas en Guatemala: Ya se utiliza la bandera Roja que es para los adultos mayores que necesitan medicamentos o víveres y la bandera negra para denunciar la violencia contra las mujeres. La expresión de reciprocidad entre la gente más sencilla pero más consciente no se hizo esperar, se están dando iniciativas muy amorosas de compartir lo poco que se tienen, con el gran mensaje, entre vecinas y vecinos se pasan la voz para apoyarse mutuamente, ahora se está convirtiendo en un movimiento con fuerza en varios territorios del país, como una respuesta inmediata al llamado de las banderas blancas, varias comunidades, familias, juventud con iniciativas, están atendiendo esta emergencia. En el departamento del Quiche, la expresión está muy presente tanto la necesidad como la expresión de dar respuesta, se han organizado brigadas de jóvenes que recaudan víveres y van a atender las necesidades más urgentes, comunidades también a través de los consejos comunitarios. El Consejo de Pueblos K’iche’s por la Defensa de la Vida, Madre Naturaleza, Tierra y Territorio (CPK) del pueblo K’iche’ fundado en 2007 para enfrentar los efectos del Tratado de libre comercio entre América Central y Estados Unidos.​ El CPK está integrado por un conjunto de comunidades que nos hemos organizado para defender nuestros derechos colectivos como pueblos originarios, nuestros territorios, nuestro derecho de autodeterminación y también los derechos con nuestro modelo de vida vinculado a la madre tierra, los derechos del y al agua. Militamos igualmente contra las violencias contra las mujeres​. Nuestro proceso de participación es asambleario democrático y comunitario. Luchamos contra el extractivismo y contra las empresas transnacionales de expresión de despojo, saqueo y destrucción territorial. CPK, se ha unido a esta resistencia comunitaria a través de varias iniciativas, de solidaridad, de comunicación, de denuncia y de exigencia de justicia, pues el territorio K’iche’, por las condiciones de exclusión históricas colocan a las comunidades en mayor riesgo. “Reconocemos que enfrentar la pandemia y enfrentar el confinamiento es un desafío de toda la humanidad, pero enfrentar la pandemia sin trabajo, sin energía eléctrica, sin agua, sin alimento, sin vivienda y con violencia a quienes somos más vulnerables, es profundamente racista y excluyente y eso es lo que le está pasando a la mayoría de la población del territorio K’iche’. Por ello una de las campañas más urgentes es la iniciativa “Juntas y juntos contra el COVID19”, con esta iniciativa se está apoyando la recaudación de comida, dinero, medicina, se generó centro de acopio de alimentos y se está ampliando esfuerzos de comunicación, denuncia y exigencia de justicia para denunciar violencia contra mujeres, niñez, ancianas y denunciar violencia contra comunidades más vulnerables, con ello se está apoyando directamente a comunidades más afectadas en la crisis actual. Aura Lolita Chávez Ixcaquic, May 2020

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Guatemala's White Flags: COVID Community Response

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Guatemala's White Flags: COVID Community Response

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