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Colombia - Petition to change the flag 2014

image by Ivan Sache, 16 July 2014

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Colombia

Luis Eduardo Serna Reyes, from Cúcuta, has submitted to President of the Republic Juan Manuel Santos a "very petition to change the colour of the lower stripe of the national flag from red to white.
"On our national flag, the red colour means war and valiance in the struggle for freedom and the independence of our country. I ask very respectfully this colour to be changed for white, which is the traditional symbol of PEACE, and also means perfection, safety, faith, purity and positive optimism."
Source: http://www.latarde.com/actualidad/colombia/135839-cambiar-el-rojo-de-la-bandera-por-blanco "La Tarde", 30 June 2014
In 2012, the citizen's initiative "Mi aporte es creer, yo creo en la paz" (My contribution is to believe, and I believe in peace) proposed to fly on 11 October - and only for that specific day - the "Tricolor of Peace", with the red colour changed for white for, as a symbol of union and reconciliation. The initiative was supported by celebrities such as the musicians Juanes and Shakira, the cyclist Mariana Pajón (standard-bearer and BMX gold medalist at the 2012 Olympics) and the football player Radamel Falcao.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX2VggXO_JA - Video presentation
The initiative appears to have been supported by the Colombian government and to have gained a great popular audience. However, there is no evidence that the "Tricolour of Peace" was widely used. During the March fro Peace, organized on 9 April 2013 in Bogota, the T-shirts wore by several marchers, President Santos included, <ere white with the initiative's name in blue letters, but reference to the flag had disappeared. All colombian flags visible on photos oft the event have the bottom strip red.
Source: http://wsp.presidencia.gov.co/portal/Especiales/Paginas/Mi-aporte-es-creer-yo-creo-en-la-paz.aspx
Ivan Sache, 16 July 2014

I have not yet any debates in Congress (where any flag change would take plase). I have also not seen or heard (or read) any official government position on this topic either.
Esteban Rivera, 20 August 2014