From 3:30 p.m. the students of the Arts Assembly were already gathering. They hung threads, assembled planks, countertops. At 4 p.m., a little more than 300 people, there was already a massive participation in this festival organized by assemblies and in coordination with state workers in struggle.
Rodri, a music student and part of the arts assembly, starts with the microphone: “Welcome to this festival organized by the assemblies that put their art (and also their philosophy) at the service of defending education, science and culture.”
“This festival is a first step for the development of organization, coordination and solidarity” opens, with a few first words, Naza, student of Visuals, activist of Imagination to Power and part of the Arts Assembly, demanding unity student worker against the adjustment of the national government.
“All proceeds will go to a fighting fund for laid-off State workers,” they clarify.
At 6 p.m. the call had already doubled, the soloists and the live music had already begun. Many sitting in a circle listened attentively, others wandered around looking at the fair, others came to buy books. The tent with a couple of dozen CONICET workers shined with its posters and its canvas with slogans. “Caste in the end was science” he said in the center, alluding to Milei’s demagoguery and the cutting and defunding of the area. Later that night, Santiago Benítez, delegate of ATE-La Marrón of CONICET, gave a few words in defense of science at the service of working people.
The intense militancy from below also included serious work by the press and dissemination commission of the arts assembly, which together with Thesis XI students and independents from the FCC, achieved great media coverage of the event. With mentions on Channel 12, calls on the “Data U” program and the newscast, with interviews with Josue Plevich, film student and director of the Faculty of Arts and La Imaginación al Poder on Channel 10 and Radio Nacional, the The call was also raised by La Nueva Mañana, El Resaltador, La Tinta, Enfant Terrible, Bambacoob, Radio Panamericana, Radio SUR, El Ciudadano Sur Diario and other portals. Channel 10 also covered the event live, along with SRT workers.
Workers from National Parks, Development Centers and the administrative area of CONICET participated under the so-called “Art 9” who are suffering layoffs; SRT workers who joined the call and also took the floor denouncing that the rectorate and the Superior Council are moving forward with “self-adjustment” and attacking the Radio and Television Services that depend on the university budget with voluntary retirements and contracts that expire April 30. They also summoned provincial teachers who have just led the fight against Llaryora’s salary adjustment. Colleagues from the Health and Care Post and workers from the Work and Housing Assembly also participated.
The Stand for the Acquittal of the 27 students prosecuted for defending education in 2018 stood out. If you wore your t-shirt they printed the phrase “No to the Trial. Absolution NOW!” Candela Guzman, Mauro Jorge from the PTS youth were present along with other prosecuted students, spreading the cause against the criminalization of social protest.
Many of the bands were from the Music school, several artists claimed the need to continue coordinating the struggles with the workers. Milei attacks us all, we all have to fight together and not fight separately.
Between band and band, greetings and thanks were heard to the students who took charge of the organization of the festival. A great militant task by the arts assembly and students from the Filo and Tesis XI assembly who helped organize the fair and various operational tasks.
Here we leave the grid with all the artists who were part of building the Festival.
The artists played in solidarity. The atmosphere of the entire festival was one of solidarity. Faced with so much impact of economic policies, the crisis that hits us all, the meeting, the debate, the sharing of art and culture while this militant action was developing, from below, from the assemblies, was a source of great joy. “These things are lived with conviction and passion,” say students who were part of the organization, “It was a success, it turned out better than we thought.”
They swung while the festival was going on. It was a cultural and protest activity, the most convening within the framework of the university conflict so far at UNC.
Then some chants of “Stop, stop, general strike” were heard when the National Parks delegate, “El Pulga,” spoke, covered in applause. After 9 p.m. the excitement began, one of the many exciting moments was when the cover of “Sr Cobranza” by “Tute” was sung, which incorporated a version adapted to the festival’s slogans.
This Festival is a starting point, an example to continue developing the assembly organization in the faculties, adding more colleagues, preparing with the entire march of 4/23 by debating what slogans we raise and how we mobilize.
The fight for the university budget is very important, we must extract from this government what is necessary to guarantee access to public education, science and culture. This April 23rd we have the first challenge. Let’s build a great, massive, national educational march.
There is money and resources, but Milei gives them to the IMF and big business friends. Let us demand that education, health and work with rights be a priority and not those who get rich while the majority gets poorer.
The experience of democratic organization in assemblies and coordination with workers in struggle show, as seen in this festival, that it is possible to promote great actions in the face of adjustment. This is very important, because we know that the radical and Peronist efforts of many Universities that call for the Federal Educational March through the CIN, are the same ones that apply “self-adjustment” in universities. Many members of the radical parties (UCR) and Peronists (PJ) are negotiating in Congress a new Omnibus Law, a labor reform and a new attack on working people with the LLA. An example of this is the Governor of Cordoba, Llaryora, and the radical deputy Rodrigo de Loredo. Both play a key role in the negotiation of Milei’s political plan right now in the Congressional “thread.”
This 4/23 let’s be thousands in the streets, we must unite the fights against the adjustment and not go separately, let’s face Milei’s entire plan. Let us march for more university budgets and also rejecting the DNU, the New Omnibus Law and any attack on workers and youth. Let us reject that they want to “legalize” black labor and attack retirees even more. Students and workers, from below and united, move forward in the face of these new challenges!
Source: www.laizquierdadiario.com
