The communications director of the Republican National Committee blasted President Joseph R. Biden’s Jr.’s removing today the Marxist guerillas fighting under the name Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, and undermining the democratic government of Columbia.
“Biden’s decision has legitimized and emboldened terrorists who have murdered, kidnapped, and attacked Americans and our allies across Latin America, in addition to killing hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in Colombia,” Danielle Alvarez said in a statement about the decision. Alvarez, a Cuban-American, was a spokeswoman for Trump Victory and also worked for Florida Republican Sen. Richard L. “Rick” Scott’s 2014 gubernatorial reelection campaign.
“The FARC has actively worked to undermine democracy in Colombia through violence and drug trafficking, and this decision is an insult and disrespect to Colombian Americans and all victims of the FARC’s attacks,” said Alvarez.
“Instead of removing the FARC from the list of terrorist organizations, Biden should be holding this communist group accountable for its violence, extremism, and oppression,” she said. “This is another unacceptable foreign policy decision from Biden that is making America and our allies less safe.”
Biden’s move to recognize FARC, which was funded and mentored by Fidel Castro, as a political entity, not a terrorist organization, was rumored for days and provoked sharp rebukes from Florida politicians, a state that is home to the largest concentration of Columbians with a population of more than 1 million.
Scott condemned the move in a Nov. 24 statement that connected the Biden policy with the president’s support for the leftwing candidate for president there.
“This move clearly shows where Biden’s loyalty lies: with the far-left, socialist candidate Gustavo Petro,” the senator said.
“The FARC has been attacking, threatening, and inflicting terror to the people of Colombia and our hemisphere for decades,” Scott said.
“This terrorist organization backed by the Castro and Maduro regimes has constantly attempted to destabilize Colombia’s democracy,” he said. “It is absolutely unacceptable that the Biden administration would even consider removing FARC from the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations with absolutely no proof they can be trusted or justification for this decision, especially during Colombia’s Presidential race for 2022.”
Florida Republican Gov. Ronald D. DeSantis also warned Biden he was making a mistake the same day the man he followed as Sunshine State governor.
“President Biden’s decision to remove the FARC from the State Department’s list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations will embolden terrorist groups throughout Latin America, empower narco-traffickers and pave the way for Castro-chavismo in Colombia,” the governor said.
“Biden’s policy is an insult to members of the Colombian American community, many of whom fled that terrorist group’s barbaric attacks on civilians, he said.
“This is a serious mistake by the Biden administration and will hurt Floridians. With this in mind, my office will ascertain what policy measures our state can take to protect our residents from a resurgent FARC and other terrorist Marxist groups,” he said.
Then, following his template of using his own authority as governor as a bulwark against Biden policy, DeSantis said the state’s governor stood with the state’s Columbians.
“My administration stands squarely on the side of the millions of Floridians who want democracy, peace, and freedom to endure in Colombia and against Joe Biden’s Castrochavista allies,” he said.
NBC News quoted Biden’s top advisor for the Americas on the move. “The information that leaked was only about the delisting of the FARC, and so the reaction was, as expected, a very negative one,” Juan S. Gonzalez, the deputy assistant secretary, and director of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, said in an interview with the news outlet.
Five years ago, FARC stopped functioning as a terrorist organization and has joined the political process, said Gonzalez, a native of Columbia, who from 2013 to 2015 advised then-Vice President Biden on Latin American affairs.
“If a guerrilla group through an accord disarms and demobilizes and gets involved politically, that’s ultimately what you want to happen and what you want to encourage, and it sends a signal that these processes can produce an outcome that can lead toward peace,” he said.
“Unfortunately, it’s been misrepresented, and it’s become part of a political debate, which we should have — based on facts,” he said.
While it is now U.S. policy that FARC is no longer a terrorist organization, the United Kingdom continues to warn its citizens about FARC-related elements, which they say creates an environment where violence, explosions, and kidnappings are still common.
The principal intended target of these attacks is not usually foreign tourists. However, the pattern of these attacks means that incidents in public spaces and other areas visited by foreigners can’t be ruled out. Past methods of attack have included car bombs, grenade attacks and explosive devices left in buildings. You should always remain vigilant and follow the advice of the local security authorities should an incident occur.
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Neil W. McCabe is the national political editor of The Star News Network. Follow him on Twitter: neilwmccabe2.
The Chinese, or some other entity, have so much dirt on the Biden family that Mr. Magoo will do whatever he is told. When the Right regains control of Washington, they better grow some stones and clean up to corruption which starts with the Biden family! FJB!