Thousands protest dismissal of Bogota mayor by inspector general

Tens of thousands of Colombians have demonstrated in the capital Bogota in support of the city's mayor, who has been fired for mismanagement, officials say. The mayor, Gustavo Petro, was sacked Monday by Inspector General Alejandro Ordonez over charges Petro had mismanaged the city's garbage collection service, the BBC reported Saturday. Ordonez also banned Petro from public office for 15 years. The inspector general said the mayor had violated free market principles and endangered people's health by changes he made to the city's garbage collection operation. Trash in Bogota was uncollected for several days in December 2012 after Petro decided to move management of the city's trash service from several private firms to the municipal water company. Petro, a former member of the M-19 left-wing rebel group, said he will appeal the decision. He claimed he was the victim of a right-wing coup and called for a demonstration that would be "the largest popular mobilization in the history of Bogota," the EFE news agency reported. Attorney General Eduardo Montealegre has begun an investigation of the attorney general's actions. He claimed Ordonez's procedures were "inquisitorial, medieval and lacking in guarantees for those who are investigated."