Anniversary of Death of Argentine protestor

Anniversary of the death of Carlos Almiron
por ANRed • Saturday December 28, 2002 at 01:42 PM


Anniversary of the death last year of Carlos Almiron on Dec. 20

HOMENAGE TO "PETETE" ALMIRON ON THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH. FROM CHERCO, HIS COMPANERO
por (ANRed/Indymedia Arg) • Friday December 20, 2002 at 08:05 PM
redaccion [at] anred.org . .
Buenos Aires, December 20-when there were only a few hours before the multitudes filled the Plaza de Mayo, one of the days of popular rebellion. Social organizations, political organizations and human rights groups remember Carlos ¨Petete¨ Almiron on the corner where he was killed. Amoung the speakers was Sergio Smietniansky ¨Cherco¨, lawyer for the Coordinator Against Political Repression, Coordinadora Contra la Represiףn Policial (CORREPI) and Petete´s companero and friend.

At 3:30 on December 20 of 2001, Carlos ¨Petete¨ Almiron became the first youth killed by the federal police. In the last year thousands of young people have run in the streets of Buenos Aires to express popular discontent accumulated through years of humiliation and injustice. But the unexpected rebellion of a year ago crowned the crisis of domination in Argentina. Argentina had been beaten by the cowardly methods that are applied by the dominant sectors (US, IMF) when they feel in danger. Petete was the first life snatched this day by the bullets shot by the forces of repression.
Carlos Almiron died at 11:30 pm on this day in the Argerich Hospital from a bullet that lodged in his head at 3:30 on the corner of Bernardo de Irigoyen and 9 de Julio. In statements to ANRed, Cherco explained that ¨We came to this march to return to the place where our companero Carlos ¨Petete¨Almiron fell to vindicate him in the way he would have most liked, through struggle. We see that he isn’t just a casualty, that amoung the dead of the Plaza there are those like a companero of a piquetero organization (unnemployed workers that blockade roads), with a rock in his hand. I believe this reflects a new generation of militants that distance themselves a lot from burocratic aspirations.¨ Petete was a militant in CORREPI and in the Movimiento 29 de Mayo de Monte Chingolo, where he carried forward his militancy from the bottom.
¨When I think of Maxi-says Cherco- when I think of Dario (Two piqeteros killed by police in July), when I think of Petete, I think of this new type of man that Che spoke of. If you think about Dario, say to your companeros that they go and think of Maxi, knowing that probably they were going to kill him, this speaks of this composition of this new man: tenderness and hardness. And basically a very clear class consciece, and a conviction to defend thier ideas to the ultimate consecuences.¨ . (ANRed/Indymedia Arg).
ANRed - 21/12/02 - 01.00

I translated this article since last year I was in Genoa, Italy and the police shot Carlo Giulianni to death. The media went on about how we now had our first martyr. Of course we responded by saying that hundreds are killed every year protesting and millions killed from the effects of what we protest. I noticed that in those 6 months four young men named Carlo(s) were killed in Italy, Papua new Guine, Argentina and Colombia protesting the IMF and the powers behind it. Carlos Almiron was one.

p.s. today is the anniversary of 3 others being shot to death by police, protest at 6:00.