Fighters and lovers?

Esta es una carta que le envié al director de la organización Fighters and Lovers que está vendiendo camisetas con logos que apoyan las FARC y cuyas ganancias están dirigidas a financiar una emisora del este grupo armado al margen de la ley.

Dear Bobby,

I don’t know anything about you except for what I read from your homepage. I’m sure you’re very idealistic and like fighting for causes you feel are right. I’m also sure that if one is not completely informed about Colombia’s particular situation, it is very easy to be seduced by the guerrilla’s and paramilitary’s discourse as they both surprisingly claim the same things. Both of the supposedly want more equality, want to stop corruption, and build a better world. But the question is…don’t we all? The problem is that these two groups have fought for these alleged ideals in ways that are simply not correct. They have murdered hundreds of thousands of innocent people, kidnapped many more and violated every known human right. It is important for you to know that the Colombian guerrilla is not what it claims to be, and supporting them in any way is not right and is definitely not the way to promote an eventual peaceful ending for the terrible war that has battered Colombia for the past 40 years. It is simply not “cool” to buy, sell or wear T-Shirts that support one of the illegal groups that have bled this country for years.

I invite you to visit both the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia’s and the FARC’s web pages in order to see that they are not very different, they both claim the same fake ideals and insist on terrorism as the best way to defend them. Additionally, you should check the Colombian press and even the leftist parties’ web pages (who defend socialist ideas in peaceful ways) so that you can see the damage the guerrilla has made to our country. You will probably think twice about supporting the FARC in any way.

I hope this note will make you reconsider the logos in your T-shirts and the associations you support, hopefully, your next collection will promote peace in Colombia and its profits will be destined to an organization that helps the victims of the armed conflict rather than to one that victimizes the Colombian people.

Cristina, another outraged Colombian