The Argentine capital recorded this Saturday (10) two acts in support of Cristina Kirchner, due to the attack perpetrated by a Brazilian citizen who tried to shoot a gun at the vice president’s face on the 1st, in front of her house.
The first was a religious service at the Basilica of Luján, a famous pilgrimage site, 70 kilometers from Buenos Aires. The mass celebrated there called for “peace and fraternity among Argentines.” Members of opposition parties were called, but did not attend – many politicians critical of the government criticized Alberto Fernández’s reaction to the episode, accusing the president of taking populist measures out of opportunism.
In addition to mentioning the attack on Cristina, Archbishop Jorge Sheinig asked for prayers from former senator Esteban Bullrich, hospitalized due to complications caused by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
“If we close ourselves in our ideological bubbles, we will go into shock, confrontation, the dissolution of citizenship. If we open ourselves to dialogue, we can meet, listen, work for the common good, strengthen democracy and rebuild this wounded homeland with hope”, said Sheinig in his sermon.
Inside and outside the temple there were armed agents and strong security. Fernández attended the service, as well as former president Eduardo Duhalde. Also present were the governor of the province of Buenos Aires, Axel Kicillof, ministers such as Santiago Cafiero (Foreign Affairs), Eduardo de Pedro (Interior) and Jorge Taiana (Defense), as well as leaders of human rights organizations such as Taty Almeida, das Mães of the Plaza de Mayo, and the Nobel Peace Prize Adolfo Pérez Esquivel.
Later, in the surroundings of Lezama Park, in the capital, a second demonstration began when the lines “If you touch Cristina, what a mess will you arm yourself” were heard – the song of the Kirchnerist youth, which already existed before and it was sung mainly before the many court hearings that the vice president has been attending, it became the most sung in the acts in her defense.
She was the background sound as supporters of the former president were arriving at the park and waiting for more guests to show up. Soon the lawn area was already crowded, as were the streets around it, heavily used by tourists on weekends.
A stage was set, on which ministers, Kirchnerist politicians and leaders of left-wing organizations gave speeches. There were banners from various groups, such as Juventude Peronista and La Cámpora, as well as others with the colors of Argentina and the words “Todos com Cristina”. On nearby streets, street vendors sold T-shirts and flags with the faces of Cristina and Néstor Kirchner, Juan and Evita Perón.
“I came because it is necessary to defend it and prevent Argentina from entering a war between brothers. If the opposition does not stop treating it badly, something worse will happen, and we have to be with it always”, he told the Sheet Agustín Herrera, 45. Another present, retired Sandoval Heig, 62, said that he was not a Kirchnerist, but that he had gone to the square anyway. “For democracy, so that Argentina can preserve its institutions. Violence is never the way out.”
The vice president’s presence, however, was not expected. Cristina has been spending the last few days away from the spotlight, at a friend’s farm in the province of Buenos Aires.
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