 On January 26, 2019, India celebrates its 71st Republic Day. For this historic day, the far-right wing government of Narendra Modi has invited Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro as a guest of honor. It's a match made in right-wing heaven, two leaders with the record of dividing their people, attacking the left and progressive sections, and submitting to U.S. interests. The Indian left is on the streets against this visit. In this episode of Around the World in 8 Minutes, we take a look at these protests and strikes in Colombia and South Africa. During his presidential campaign, and after being elected, Jair Bolsonaro has made a name for himself through his racism, bigotry, and anti-people policies. The Indian government of Narendra Modi, meanwhile, has just passed a citizenship bill that will turn Muslims into second-class Indians. In today's protests, members of farmers, women's and student organizations condemned his right-wing alliance and the politics of both these leaders. Here is some footage from the protests. Bolsonaro, go back! Go back! Go back! Bolsonaro, go back! Go back! Go back! Go back! The All India Democratic Women's Association, along with all the other organizations like Kisan Sabha, SFI, D.Y.F.I, and the Adivasi Adhika Rashtriya Manj, we organize a protest today against the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has been invited by our Prime Minister for the Republic Day celebration. We think it's an insult to the nation because Bolsonaro has been taking anti-people's policies in his own country. He has been insulting women. He has been passing extremely atrocious statements against women. In fact, it's like justifying rape. He has been insulting the LGBTQ people for whose rights. In India, we have been fighting continuously. He has been harming the indigenous people in Brazil. And in India, we have seen we've been fighting for the rights of the tribals, rights to land, rights to the forest, which exactly the opposite Bolsonaro is doing in Brazil. So we think calling Bolsonaro here for the Republic Day celebrations is an insult to the people of India because as the people of India are resisting the neoliberal policies and India itself, similarly the people of Brazil are fighting for their rights. And Narendra Modi has become a symbol of trying to protect all kinds of people who are authoritarian. He is allying with authoritarian people all around the world, people who are crushing the resistance within their own countries. And that is why AIDWA feels that at a time when there is violence, has increased so highly in our country to invite a president who justifies rape, who abuses women, who is insulting to women, just shows the character of the BJP RSS. It exposes Narendra Modi. And that is why we have opposed, we have protested, and we have said that we are not going to allow Bolsonaro's visit in India to go unchallenged by the people of the country. We are demanding that fix the price on the basis of Dr. Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, cost plus 50%. The government of Asia, India is not giving. According to that, minimum rupees 500 per quintal, that is 5000 per ton, should be the price of sugar cane. They have fixed for this season 275 per quintal, 275 only. One. Second, already 24,000 crores, over 24,000 crores are lying with the sugar mills as areas of sugar cane farm till today. You know the sugar cane farm, the government is doing nothing. Sugar cane, if you farm the sugar cane, the field is engaged for 2-3 years. It is not like paddy and wheat that you take one crop in 3-4 months and you put other crop. The whole 2 years you can do nothing. Only after 2 years you can finish that and go. So the farmers are engaged and if you don't pay the proper price, how they will lead, what they will lead, what they will do for the education of their children, for the medicine and for other family cost and then the capital for the next crop. And in that situation also, this Brazilian President Bolsonaro, he is asking WTO, whatever support the government is doing, that should be withdrawn to destroy our sugar cane farmers, to destroy our sugar cane industry. Actually to capture the such an Indian market, because Brazil has a very good production of sugar, they want the market. So they are eyeing on Indian market. And why this man has been invited by our Prime Minister, we don't understand. We now go to Colombia, where massive mobilizations took place on January 21st, marking two months since the beginning of the popular uprising against President Ivan Dukie. The rise in assassinations of social leaders, the scandal involving the army carrying out illegal wiretapping and the neoliberal economic measures passed by the Colombian government were some of the factors that brought the people to the streets. Students with artistic interventions, music, blockades of public transportation and major roads and potent pan banging were carried out in Colombia's major cities. The response of the police was repressive as usual, with students and youth being attacked in the southern part of Bogota. The strike was called for by the National Strike Committee, which is made up of diverse social movements. The National Strike Committee had originally drafted a 13-point list of demands that was presented to the government, but after deliberations and discussions within the committee, the list has grown. The key demands include the withdrawal of anti-people economic policies, including the tax reform passed in December, the immediate dissolution of the Mobile Anti-Disturbance Squadron Esmart and effective measures to halt the genocide of social leaders, human rights defenders and ex-combatants. The protestors are seeking a commitment by the government to implement the peace agreement signed with the Revolutionary Armed Forces, FARC in 2016, and the reinitiation of peace talks with the National Liberation Army or the ELN. 15 seconds of far-right government of Ivanduke are expected to continue, and social organizations are undertaking new ways of channelizing the outpouring of energy that has been seen in the past two months. And finally, nearly 3,000 workers from 15 security companies in South Africa are in an indefinite strike since January 21st. They are demanding the payment of wages that are due from December. The workers are employed by companies contracted by the Department of Community, Safety, Security and Liaison of the Pumalanga province government. They provide security for clinics, hospitals, South African Social Security Agency offices and licensing departments. The protesting workers are members of the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union, SATWU. The union is affiliated to the KOSATU, which is an ally of the ruling African National Congress. Security guards earn anywhere between US$300 to 385 a month in a country where the living wage for a single order is estimated to be around US$418. Security guards have claimed that they are not in a position to pay the guards because of the provincial government, which has not paid their charges since December. The government department has cited financial constraints and said that the salaries for December, January and February will only be paid in April 2020. In South Africa, which has a high crime rate, security guards play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of people and property. Their number is twice that of the combined strength of the police and armed forces. The security guards are determined to continue their struggle till their due wages are paid. That's all we have for this episode of Around the World in 8 Minutes. To know more about these stories, visit our website peoplesdispatch.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Thanks for watching.