Courts go up in flames during protests in Colombia

Rio de Janeiro (dpa) 27 May 2021 - After about a month of protests in Colombia, the law courts in Tulua have been destroyed in a fire, presumably as a result of arson.  

The Palace of Justice in the town to the north of Cali, an epicentre of the demonstrations, was in ruins on Wednesday, as could be seen in photos. Only a crucifix appeared to have been spared by the flames.  

“Vandals want to obstruct justice with arsons like ... in Tulua,” Colombian Defence Minister Diego Molano wrote on Twitter. Justice Minister Wilson Ruiz spoke of “acts of terrorism.”  

Organizations close to the National Strike Committee assured that the firing was due to armed civilians outside the protest movement.  

Since the end of April, there have been numerous protests in different cities in the South American country.  
So far, at least 42 people have died in connection with the protests, many as a result of police violence.