A crowd occupies the center of Buenos Aires this Friday (2nd) to repudiate the attempted murder of Cristina Kirchner, vice president of Argentina, which took place on Thursday (1st).
According to the newspaper La Nación, all the ministers of the Alberto Fernández government will participate in the mobilization. There is still no word on whether the president will join them.
The largest demonstration is destined for the emblematic Praça de Mayo, where hundreds of people landed this Friday morning (2), coming from different parts of the capital, and where the other demonstrations should flow.
The square houses not only dozens of political collectives, but also independent citizens who do not belong to parties or organizations.
Accompanied by their parents, children form a visible part of the concentration. La Plata architects Eugenia Rodriguez Daneri, 34, and Licia Ríos, 47, for example, came with their 12 and 6-year-old children.
“We came to defend Cristina and democracy”, says Licia. Eugenia attributes to right-wing leaders the promotion of the rhetoric of political violence that, in her opinion, led to the attack.
Bringing the children, say the mothers, is a way of introducing them to the national culture and allowing them to create memories of political participation. Sitting on the lawn in front of Casa Rosada, they rested to the sound of drumming, waiting for the other acts to begin.
The social sciences researcher and university professor Sérgio, 48, —who prefers not to say his surname— was another who was accompanied by his son, Timotio, 8. In a country with a tradition of street marches, this is the first time that the boy participate in one.
Sérgio says that an attempt against Cristina was unimaginable. “Argentina can always surprise you. But the truth is that this was unthinkable. It filled us with fear. But fear is fought by marching.”
For him, the act gives breath to the mobilization on the streets, in part slowed down during the Covid pandemic.
The region is also full of street vendors, who sell food and drinks and also take the opportunity to sell items with symbols of the country.
Maximiliano Policicchio, 42, carpenter and musician, reports that he always attends the events to support Kirchnerism and also to sell photographs of figures such as the Peróns, Diego Maradona and the Kirchners themselves.
Three hours ago in Praça de Mayo, he had already sold about 20 images, each at 400 pesos (about R$8 at the parallel exchange rate).
Eduardo Luna, 69, a merchant who also identifies with Kirchnerism, says the importance of participating in such demonstrations is “to show that the people will support the democratic system, even with all the defects it may have, and to repudiate political violence “.
If on the main avenues the movement was intense, with the ban on part of Avenida 9 de Julho to cars, the other streets had quiet and unusual traffic for a Friday, after the government decreed a national holiday – the act was criticized by leaders of the opposition, interpreted as an attitude of political opportunism.
The main cities in the interior of the country also organized events in support of Cristina.
