The brutal murder of Fernando Gómez at the hands of the National Gendarmerie in Salta is an extremely serious event. He is the first death of the Javier Milei government during the repressive actions of the security forces commanded by Patricia Bullrich. Let us remember that Fernando was murdered by the bullets of the Gendarmerie in the early hours of Wednesday, December 18, when he was transporting merchandise from Bolivia to Salta, an informal job from which thousands of residents of the region live due to the lack of other sources of employment. He was a humble and hard-working young man of 27 years old, father of three children, ages one, three and six. According to witnesses, the gendarmes fired firearms to kill, in response to the so-called bagayeros’ claim for the confiscation of their merchandise. This vile murder unleashed a real riot in Aguas Blancas, the Salta town closest to the border. Fernando’s burial in Oran was accompanied by a procession of hundreds of people demanding justice.
As soon as the events occurred, both Patricia Bullrich, Minister of National Security, and Gustavo Sáenz, governor of Salta, tried to hide the fact with lies, accusing Fernando and his companions of being drug traffickers, which does not stand up to the slightest proof. Bullrich, who during his time in the same ministry during the government of Mauricio Macri, was responsible for the deaths of Santiago Maldonado and Rafael Nahuel. Let us also remember that he crudely accused the 33 detainees during the demonstration against the Bases Law of being “terrorists” and of preparing “a coup d’état” during their treatment in the Senate, something denied by the justice system that had to release all of the and the detainees, although some of them had to spend up to three months in prison. The main hegemonic media (newspapers, cable channels and radio stations such as Clarín, La Nación and América) first reproduced the official version and, when it was denied, they immediately stopped talking about the event. From the main leaders of Peronism there was a thunderous silence, with few exceptions. Not even posts on social networks. Page 12, C5N, eldiario.ar, Alejandro Bercovich on Radio Con Vos and El Destape, among others, did cover the event, along with AnRED, other alternative media and left-wing media.
From the PTS we repudiated the events from the first moment with significant coverage by La Izquierda Diario and numerous posts on social networks by our main national references. Our fellow national deputy Alejandro Vilca was present accompanying the funeral procession and giving support to the family. In El Destape they highlighted this presence of Alejandro, contrasting it with the absence of deputies and political leaders of the Peronist opposition and other sectors. In Buenos Aires, on December 20, we mobilized to the Casa de Salta to repudiate the murder, after the event in Plaza de Mayo. There we held a demonstration of repudiation where our colleague Christian Castillo and colleagues from Política Obrera and Marabunta spoke, organizations that also mobilized. Unfortunately, the rest of the Left Front parties that had been present in the Plaza and had compromised their presence did not participate. However, this action, carried out in the midst of a strong repressive operation by the City Police, was not enough to break the media siege regarding this repressive crime.
This whole year we have seen how the adjustment has been sustained based on repression and the persecution and criminalization of those who fight, as they are doing with the piquetero movement. During the repression of the first treatment of the Bases Law, the rubber bullets of the Federal Police caused our fellow Ceprodh lawyer Matías Aufieri to lose an eye, among hundreds of others injured by this repressive action. Now in Salta the gendarmes fired directly with lead bullets.
We cannot allow this murder of a young precarious worker to go unpunished. Those materially and politically responsible must be tried and condemned. When the Bases Law was repressed, a forceful united response managed to deny the lies of Patricia Bullrich and the national government and was able to achieve the release of all the detainees. Today we must repeat that experience and carry out a great national and international campaign so that this repressive crime does not go unpunished. Human Rights organizations must take the lead in this claim. Also retirees, students, workers, unions, the women’s movement, the piquetero movement, and all sectors that oppose adjustment.
Fernando’s family, his friends and solidarity organizations such as the PTS and CeProDH promote this petition that we must fill with national and international signatures.
The cry of Justice for Fernando! It should resonate throughout the country. This state crime cannot go unpunished.
Source: www.laizquierdadiario.com
