The president of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, last night condemned the attempted assassination of Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, calling it “the most serious event that has occurred since we recovered democracy,” 39 years ago.
“Dear Argentine people, shortly after 9:00 p.m., a man attempted against the life of the vice president of the nation. It is a very serious fact. It is the most serious that has happened since the recovery of democracy. In the context of a massive presence of people, a man pointed a firearm at his head and pulled the trigger. Cristina remains alive because, for some reason, the weapon that she had 5 bullets did not fire despite having been triggered, “Fernández began.
And he added: “Such a reality moves the Argentine people and in particular those of us who are their colleagues, who embrace it in solidarity with all our love.” “This attack deserves the strongest repudiation from all political sectors, from all the men and women who make up the republic. These facts affect our democracy.”
“We are obliged to recover the democratic coexistence that has been broken by the hate speech that has spread from different political, judicial and media spaces. We can have deep disagreements but in a democratic society, speeches that promote hate cannot take place because they breed violence and there is no possibility that violence coexists with democracy, “said the President. In this line, he limited: “We are facing an event that has an extreme institutional and human seriousness. Our vice president has been attacked and social peace has been disturbed. Argentina cannot lose another minute. There is no time. It is necessary to banish violence and hatred from political and media discourse and from our society”.
“I call on each and every one of the Argentine men and women, the entire political and social leadership, the media and society in general to reject any form of violence. We need to isolate, not validate, the disqualifying, stigmatizing and offensive words that only divide and confront us. I have communicated with the judge investigating what happened and I have asked her to quickly clarify the responsibilities and the facts. I have also requested that you ensure the life of the accused, ”she remarked.
His speech was closed by saying “that the shock, horror and repudiation that this fact generates in us becomes a permanent commitment to eradicate hatred and violence from life in democracy. For this reason, I have arranged to declare a national holiday tomorrow so that in peace and harmony the people can express themselves in defense of life, democracy and solidarity with our vice president. The Argentine people want to live with democracy and in peace and ours has the firm commitment to work every day so that this is achieved.
