The sky oscillating between cloudy and clear, the temperate and at times cold weather and a drizzle that occasionally said present could not prevent thousands of people from returning to the streets today, after two years closed due to the pandemic, to accompany the organizations human rights on the Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice, on a new anniversary of the last civil-military coup d’état.
The concentration in the mythical Plaza de Mayo, the epicenter of the most important events in national history, had two political moments: one marked by the hard left and another later with the colors of different Peronist and union sides.
In both circumstances, the human rights organizations were the umbrella that contained all the expressions and slogans that were raised 46 years after the establishment of the last dictatorship.
Around the Pirámide de Mayo, around 2:00 p.m., militants and leaders belonging to groups such as the Left Front, PTS, Libres del Sur, Barrios de Pie and the Partido Obrero listened to the two Mothers of Plaza de Mayo Founding Line Nora Cortiñas (with brand new 92 years) and Mirta Baravalle, start the first act convened by the Memory Truth and Justice Meeting.
Then a first document agreed upon by the different organizations that make up the meeting was read, and from the stage the audience harangued, responding to the slogans that were launched: “30,000 disappeared detainees”, “Now and always”, “Until victory always”, “We will win”.
People also proposed their own claims such as Where is Tehuel?”, referring to the young transgender man who was last seen on March 11, 2021 in San Vicente and who is still being sought by his father Andrés.
In addition, flags of left-wing groups could be read that said “No to the Government-IMF agreement” and a poster of the organization La Poderosa with the slogan “Hysópese for identity, know your truth”, and chants were heard against the torturers, like the historical “Olé, olé/olé, olá/how is it going to happen to the Nazis/wherever they go we will look for them”.
“Beyond the fact that last year I also came and a leftist sector was mobilized that came the same, the Mothers who are the ones who make the difference were not there,” Sergio Maldonado (brother of Santiago) valued before Télam the presence of the owners of the white scarves.
Through loudspeakers, the spokeswomen assured that in Plaza de Mayo and its surroundings there were already 100,000 people.
The column of Madres Línea Fundadora with the historic blue flag that contains the photographs of the disappeared was already positioned at the height of Piedras street, waiting to start the second march, while it was accompanied by the drums of the La Chilinga group, which preceded it. .
A security cordon made up of members of the Buenos Aires Ombudsman’s Office and lifeguard personnel, with cases and orange vests, belonging to the NGO Evacuation and First Aid Corps -CEPA- were in charge of guaranteeing the arrival of the Mothers towards the column where they already other militants expected.
“We are here because we are a human rights organization that promotes the right to communication,” Miriam Lewin explained to this agency, regarding the presence of the organization she presides over, the Argentine Public Defender’s Office.
Asked about the massive nature of the call, the journalist, who was detained and tortured at the ESMA during the civic-military dictatorship, said: “It makes me feel very happy and gives me confidence that ‘Never again’ is truly never again,” while letting see on his forehead the phrase inscribed in black letters, “there are 30 thousand”.
Several artistic interventions had already left their mark on the pavement. You could see silhouettes drawn in allusion to the disappeared, the inscription “Never Again” accompanied by a white handkerchief and a portrait of Nora Cortiñas with the legend “Thank you for resisting.”
Like every year, when human rights organizations propose different initiatives, this time the chinstraps were asked to intervene and several responded by writing “There are 30,000” or “Where are the 30,000?” on their masks, among other slogans. .
“March 24 in my family is something that we remember, not only for having had militants in the family but because we want this as a society not to happen to us again. And it’s the same thing that we continue to work with our children” explained to Télam a protester, Ana, from Parque Chacabuco, about the participation of her 11-year-old twin sons, who also had their chinstraps intervened.
“They came from babies to the marches,” he added, explaining a situation that was repeated with the presence of several families.
On Calle Piedras, and waiting for the left-wing organizations to begin to advance, was the Berisso and Ensenada Malvinas Islands Veteran Ex-Combatant Center (CEVECIM), which participated together with the Malvinas Islands Ex-Combatants Center (CECIM La Plata) in the reading of a document at the beginning of the second act.
“We are tied to human rights for having suffered the same civic-military dictatorship,” the president of Cevecim, Jorge Di Pietro, told Télam.
He also stated, on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the Malvinas War, that it is necessary for the “Judicial Power to provide justice to the tortured comrades.”
The same request that he reiterated when he went on stage with the Human Rights Secretary of CECIM La Plata and member of the National Council for Malvinas Affairs, Ernesto Alonso, joining his claims with those of the Human Rights organizations.
Around 4:00 p.m., when the cold had already advanced and the rain threatened to break in again, the Mothers’ column finally began to advance, followed by the CEVECIM group. And he entered the Plaza to the rhythm of the song “Matador”, by Los Fabulosos Cadillacs.
The members of Madres e Hijos raised above their heads and waving their arms the characteristic blue flag with the faces of the disappeared. And they began to dance to the beat of the music, infecting the rest who began to wave their fingers in V..
Other organizations that accompanied the mobilization were Ctera, Peronism July 26, Compañeros disappeared and murdered from the UES, Permanent Assembly of Human Rights, Daughter and Sons of exile, Timerman Ezeiza Basic Unit, Migrant Memory for Truth and Justice, La Lorca (organization of descendants of Spanish disappeared) and Soberanxs, among others.
“Returning to the square 46 years after a terrible tragedy such as the coup d’état with a sinister plan,” Gabriel Mariotto, former vice-governor of Buenos Aires and member of Soberanxs, told Télam.
Mariotto added that his space marched “with the usual slogan, Memory, Truth and Justice”, and added that “the debts that are scams, are not paid”, in reference to the indebtedness with the IMF.
The people received the main column with the characteristic chant “Mothers of the Plaza / the people embrace them”, after two years of pandemic prevented this and other mobilizations.
They also energetically sang the song that has been alive since the end of the dictatorship, which the Peronist Youth of that time knew how to make their own: “Despite the bombs / the executions / the dead comrades / the disappeared / they have not defeated us.”
Shortly after, with spirits still on, the referents of the convening organizations read the final document through which they urged not to allow neoliberalism to return to Argentina and to keep the memory alive.
