El 5 de marzo de 2016, el presidente Rafael Correa, durante su Enlace Ciudadano N° 465 tildó de “malcriada, desubicada” y pidió que retiren del lugar a la ciudadana Marlene Ocampo, quien acudió a un estadio en la localidad de Vilcabamba, en Loja -frontera sur del país- con un cartel que decía “Señor Presidente clamo justicia”, con la esperanza de ser escuchada por el Primer Mandatario.
En diálogo con Fundamedios, la ciudadana aseguró que jamás ha ofendido al Señor Presidente y que lo único que hizo ese día fue ponerse de pie con una pancarta porque se ha cansado de golpear las puertas en la Presidencia e ir a varias sabatinas y eventos culturales para ser atendida por el Jefe de Estado. “Me paré, enseñé el cartel y los camarógrafos se dieron cuenta y me pidieron que me sentara, luego, como me quedé de pie, se dio cuenta el señor Presidente y me echó. He recibido insultos del señor Presidente aparte que me están quitando el pan de nuestros hijos. (...) Si me atreví a portar una pancarta ese día fue porque quería ser escuchada porque se están vulnerando mis derechos”, comentó Ocampo indignada.
Durante la transmisión del Enlace Ciudadano, el Presidente, al ver la pancarta dijo: "Señora no lo va a entender. Aquí no es para hacer escándalos ni gritos. Si quiere retirarse, retírese pero no me va a ofender. Retiren a la señora, que alguien la atienda. Yo no le voy a hacer caso a esa malcriada. En todo caso compañeros atiendan, no se distraigan. Siempre hay una persona desubicada".
Tras estas palabras, Ocampo narró que un policía se acercó a querer sacarla, pero ella insistió en que la pancarta no ofendía a nadie y se quedó, pero decidió entregar el cartel al mismo policía para evitar problemas. Tras esto, unos funcionarios del gobierno la llevaron a un lado para escuchar su pedido. Sin embargo, su hija, quien estaba sentada a su lado portando otra pancarta sí fue sacada afuera del estadio en donde se desarrollaba la sabatina, lo cual consideró un abuso por parte de los uniformados ya que, según dijo, su hija no estaba haciendo nada malo.
Ocampo comentó que desde hace seis años que se han vulnerado sus derechos y el de su familia, puesto que desde 2010 está reclamando que se le devuelva una maquinaria de excavación que fue comprada con los ahorros obtenidos después de años de trabajar como migrante en España, y que actualmente está en manos de la Agencia de Regulación y Control Minero (Arcom). Al respecto, Ocampo aseguró que tiene un contrato con reserva de dominio y una orden de un juez para que se le entregue la máquina, pero que hasta la fecha no ha ocurrido.
El Presidente Correa ha protagonizado varios incidentes directos con ciudadanos que han protestado al paso de la caravana presidencial o han expresado su descontento en sus intervenciones oficiales.
A citizen was chased out of the presidential weekly broadcast for carrying a poster that sought justice
On March 5, 2016, President Rafael Correa, during his Saturday Weekly Broadcast N° 465 branded the citizen Marlene Ocampo “impolite, disoriented” and ordered that she was chased out of the stadium in Vilcabamba from Loja, city in the country’s southern border. The woman went there carrying a poster that said “Mr. President, I call out for justice”, her hope was to be heard by the President.
During a conversation with Fundamedios, the citizen claimed that she had never offended the President and that the only thing she had done was to stand up with her poster because she was tired of knocking on the presidential office’s doors and of going to many weekly broadcasts and cultural events for the purpose of being heard by the Head of State. Mrs. Ocampo also comments that “I stood up, showed the poster and the camera operators realized it and they asked me to sit down, then, as I remained standing, the President noticed me and he chased me out of the place. Leaving aside the insults I have received by the President, they are taking bread from our children (...). If I dared to carry a poster that day, it was because I wanted to be heard as my rights are being infringed”.
During the transmission of the Weekly Broadcast, when the President saw the poster, he said: "Ma’am you would not understand. Here is not a place for causing scandals and shouting. If you want to leave, you can leave, but you will not offend me. Chase out the ma’am, someone deals with her. I will not pay attention to this impolite woman. In any case, fellow citizens, pay attention, do not get distracted. There is always someone who is disoriented".
After these words, Mrs. Ocampo related that a police officer approached to her in order to chase her out, but she insisted that in her poster she was not offending anyone and she stayed; however, she decided to give the poster to him for avoiding any problem. Then, some government officials took her to a side of the place for listening to her request. Nonetheless, her daughter, who was sat down beside her with another poster, was chased out of the stadium, which she considers is an abuse by the police officers since, according to her, her daughter was doing nothing wrong.
Mrs. Ocampo mentions that her rights and those of her family have been infringed for six years because since 2010, she is demanding the return of an excavation machine that was bought with the savings from her work during many years in Spain as migrant, and nowadays, this machine is in the hands of Agencia de Regulación y Control Minero (Arcom) (Agency for the Regulation and Control of Mining Sector). In this regard, Mrs. Ocampo states that she has a title reservation agreement and a court order which establishes the return of her machine, but until now it has not occurred.
President Correa has been involved in many direct incidents with citizens who have protested during presidential motorcades or have expressed their discontent in his official interventions.
