Several thousand people marched yesterday in numerous cities of the country to protest against political decisions of the Government such as judicial reform and ask “that something be done” against inflation and insecurity.
The main concentration was in the Obelisco, but there was also a cacerolazo and honk in the Quinta de Olivos, where President Alberto Fernández lives.
Likewise, there were demonstrations in front of the building where Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner resides. On the terrace of that building they hung an Argentine flag, which read: “Argentina Democratic Republic”.
“No to judicial reform”, “for the Republic” and “no to impunity” were some of the most repeated expressions in the so-called “17-A” marches, the largest of the four registered since May 30 against the Government. The protest occurred in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
There were people at the Obelisk, in Rosario, in Córdoba, in Mendoza, in Mar del Plata and in Tucumán, among other points. Most attended with masks. And social distancing was disappearing as the mass grew. Although Juntos por el Cambio assured that there was no institutional convocation of the coalition, active referents such as Patricia Bullrich (president of PRO), Hernán Lombardi (former Minister of Media of Mauricio Macri) and other former second-line officials were shown.
“I come to tell the President that it is time for him to lift the Justice reform because a reform cannot be made to the extent of impunity,” said Bullrich upon landing at the Obelisk.
In another corner, Lombardi was shown accompanying the actor and former radical legislator Luis Brandoni, who put a face and voice to the call in a video that was viralized on social networks in the previous week.
At noon, Fernández had led the event for the 170th anniversary of the death of General José de San Martín, but did not refer to the march. Days before, he had questioned her about the health effects it could have.
A few hours before the demonstration, the vice president recalled the celebrations of August 17, 2015 and said that “the best tribute” that could be done for this day was “to understand the need for national unity.”
The Chief of Staff, Santiago Cafiero, apologized for “forgiveness” to the health workers who expose themselves daily in the care of patients with coronavirus “for failing to prevent the opposition from seeking another way to protest” that did not put “in risk ”the health of the population.
At the Obelisk, not everyone identified with Macrismo. There were even some critical expressions towards Macri himself and Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, the city’s head of government. Many, especially professionals and businessmen, expressed their “fed up with all politicians.”
But, without a doubt, the main targets were Fernández, due to her management in the Executive, and the vice president, for all the legal cases that she has on her shoulders in which she is accused of alleged acts of corruption.
Just as that of May 30 was “against quarantine”, that of June 20 “for Vicentin” and that of July 9 “for the Republic”, the leitmotiv Yesterday’s march was the judicial reform, an initiative that the Government prepared and presented without opposition participation.
But there were also other claims that joined the demonstration that lasted more than three hours, such as the growth of insecurity in urban centers, the increase in unemployment, rising inflation, retirement assets, among others.
The two main health referents of the macrismo, the Buenos Aires Minister of Health, Fernán Quirós, and the former national minister Adolfo Rubinstein, expressed their objections about the march by pointing out that such a massive social concentration was not convenient.
The march worried the national government, the management of Axel Kicillof in Buenos Aires and the mayors of the Buenos Aires suburbs, even those of Together for Change such as Jorge Macri and Gustavo Posse, due to the possibility that Covid-19 infections may spike.
This is because 86% of the cases registered as positive of the 300 thousand that exist in the country are in the Federal Capital and in Greater Buenos Aires. These two districts also concentrate 96.6% of the deaths from this disease. And today the use of intensive care beds is 75.2% in Buenos Aires territory and 62.5% in the Buenos Aires suburbs.
The fourth “flag”: The most forceful
Yesterday was the fourth demonstration faced by the national government. Compared with the previous ones, the one of “17-A” is the most important in terms of summons. On May 30, they protested against the quarantine, on June 20 against the attempt to expropriate Vicentin, and on July 9 in “defense of the Republic.”