From Yahoo
Tens of thousands of trade union workers and Indians took to the streets of Colombia's main cities Wednesday to protest a proposed free trade pact with the United States, accusing President Alvaro Uribe of selling out the country."Four more years of Uribe and we'll be in a coffin," chanted the demonstrators, who urged Colombia's highest court to strike down a measure that would allow Uribe to seek a second consecutive term in office during next year's presidential elections.
Thousands of state judicial, transport and education employees walked off the job, forcing the closure of public schools and notary offices in Bogota.
The protests snarled traffic. There were also fears that Colombia's main leftist rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, would infiltrate the marches and incite violence.
Purported FARC leaflets distributed in Bogota accused Uribe "of placing the country in the hands of the gringos" by accepting billions of dollars in mostly military aid from Washington over the past five years to fight the insurgents.
