Argentina's right-wing candidates praise brutal dictatorship, stage stunt honoring 'victims of left

[Judi Lynn]

Argentina’s right-wing candidates praise brutal dictatorship, stage stunt honoring ‘victims of left violence’
September 6, 2023 11:02 AM CDT BY ROGER MCKENZIE



Police detain a demonstrator during a protest outside the Buenos Aires City Legislature against an event organized by Victoria Villarruel, the running mate of Freedom Advances party presidential candidate Javier Milei, to honor 'victims of armed leftist groups.' The pair of candidates has been trying hard to rehabilitate the brutal military dictatorship of the 1970s and '80s. | AP


Human rights activists surrounded the Buenos Aires city legislature on Monday to protest at an event honoring “victims of armed left-wing groups” during the 1970s, when Argentina was engulfed by political violence.

The tribute was arranged by Victoria Villarruel, the running mate of far-right presidential candidate Javier Milei.

Protesters labelled Villarruel’s stunt an attempt to change the narrative about crimes against humanity committed by Argentina’s last military dictatorship.

Villaruel, who has long defended military officers convicted of crimes under the bloody 1976-83 dictatorship, told the event: “For 40 years, the victims of terrorism were erased from memory, swept under the rug of history.”

Police set up barriers around the legislature to keep back hundreds of demonstrators, who said the event sought to reinstall the idea that the military dictatorship committed its crimes as part of a civil war with left-wing guerilla groups.

More:
https://www.peoplesworld.org/article/argentinas-right-wing-candidates-praise-brutal-dictatorship-stage-stunt-honoring-victims-of-left-violence/