CENTRAL FALLS — In 2000, Maria Inez Lopez, then mayor of the tiny town of Santa Rosa de Cabal in the far regions of Risaralda, Colombia, headed to visit people in the mountains when she was kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

She spent one month in captivity walking through the mountains and contained in a pen of barbed wire and electrical fencing before the government’s military police rescued her and others who had been captured by FARC.

Yesterday, she joined some 175 fellow Colombians and others who gathered in Central Falls as part of a worldwide vigil for peace in Colombia and to condemn the FARC. In Colombia, hundreds of thousands reportedly took to the streets to march against the rebels. They were joined by protests in other Latin American countries and smaller protests in countries including India, Spain, Japan, France, London, Sweden and Italy.

“Today is a historic day. We have shown our rejection of FARC. We have shown the world that we have not become desensitized to the barbarism of FARC,” she said.

Lopez said that the protest yesterday served to let the world know that FARC is not some romantic ideological Marxist group fighting to better the lives of Colombian people. There is a town in France where T-shirts are sold supporting FARC because people do not know the truth, she said. “An ideological social movement fights to make life better for people. Do you think the ideology of FARC is a social ideology? It is one of terror and narco-trafficking. They kidnap, they kill mothers and children and fathers,” she said. Lopez was granted political asylum in the United States. She has lived in Rhode Island for five years and today works as a substitute teacher in Pawtucket and Central Falls.

The idea for the protests against FARC was conceived less than a month ago on the social networking Web site Facebook. People in more than 165 cities around the world confirmed their participation.

Lopez said the vigil was important because it denounced the violence by FARC and remembered those who have been killed and those who are still in captivity. To date, there are some 700 people who remain kidnapped, including three U.S. military contractors and former French-Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt. FARC has tried to barter for a release of imprisoned guerillas in exchange for Betancourt. Bolivian President Hugo Chavez brokered a deal with the rebels for the release of two women in January.

Yesterday, the vigil in Rhode Island began at Progreso Latino, the community organization. People came with yellow, blue and red Colombian flags or small flags that read “No mas FARC, Si a Colombia,” — “No more FARC, Yes to Colombia.” It was clear from the large number of people who showed up that the vigil would be held outside. After the Pledge of Allegiance in English and the singing of the Colombian national anthem, people brought their flags, signs and candles outside to the former rectory of Notre Dame Church. The Colombian American Cultural Society sponsored the vigil.

Graciela Torijano, 64, of Central Falls, who carried one of the white protest flags, said: “It’s gotten worse. They liberated two women in January, but shortly afterwards they kidnapped someone else. If people are watching the protests and see that we are against the violence, maybe that will put on the pressure.

tpina@projo.com