In an institutional tone, Alberto Fernández shared the act of March 24 with his cabinet and Kirchnerist officials

In the first row, the chief of staff, John Manzurtalks with the Minister of Health, Carla Viszzotti. A couple of seats away are the chancellor, santiago cafierobeside Cecilia Todeca, Secretary of International Relations of that portfolio. And other ministers complete the scene: John Zabaleta (Social development), Claudius Moroni (Job), Tristan Bauer (Culture), Martin Soria (Justice) and Juan Cabandie (Environment and Sustainable Development). At the last minute, the head of Education joins them, Jaime Perczyk.

There are other officials close to the President such as the General Secretary of Legal and Technical, Vilma Ibarra; Secretary for Strategic Affairs Gustavo Beliz; his chief adviser, John Manuel Olmos and the national deputy Eduardo Valdes. And the presence of trade union militancy and human rights organizations.

Alberto Fernandez chose to surround himself with his closest troop in the act for the National Day of Memory, Truth and Justice that was held this morning in the Auditorium of the Cultural Center of Science, in the Technological Pole of the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo. While the Frente de Todos is going through turbulent times that threaten to break with the unity of the coalition, the massive mobilization of La Cámpora was arriving at Plaza de Mayo, after a long walk of 13 kilometers from the former ESMA.

Horacio Pietragalla Corti, Secretary for Human Rights who reports to the Ministry of Justice and who shared the stage with the President, he is one of the few pure Kirchnerists which will also be part of the act in front of the Casa Rosada. Before the President’s presentation, he acknowledges that historically “there were always two marches”, as to hide the internal bidding of the ruling party. He tries to emphasize that “it is the fourth march of La Cámpora”, but that “in the previous two years the pandemic prevented it”.

It will be a common point that all those present will highlight. The one that is organized in a dependency of the Ministry of Science and Technology is an “institutional” act because the presidents historically do not want to mix during a commemoration in which the main protagonists must be the human rights organizations. “That space must be preserved,” they justify.

It seems no coincidence that Daniel Filmus is the host of the Head of State. They cultivate a very good relationship since before arriving at La Rosada and the current Minister of Science was one of the “loyal” ones who, when he had to swerve after the bad drink of the PASO last year, accepted the transfer from the Malvinas secretariat to replace Roberto Salvarezza, one of the few who resigned after Cristina Kirchner’s letter to whom the head of state accepted the resignation.

Alberto Fernández arrived half an hour later than expected along with Vitobello, another of his most faithful companions. The president sat down for the central part of the act between Taty Almeidaone of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo Línea Fundadora, whom he had to help to get on stage, and Lita Paolin from Boitano, of Relatives of the Disappeared and Detained for Political Reasons. Pietragalla, Filmus and the current president of the Conicet, Ana María Franchi, complete the list of speakers.

Estela de Carlotto, also close to the President, participated through a recorded video. The same thing happened with the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, for health reasons.

“Mothers of the Plaza, the people embrace them” and “As it is going to happen to the Nazis, wherever they go we will look for them”, sound intoned by the audience where there are people with very “Peronist” bibs who ask for Bread, Peace and Work, others with ATE (Association of State Workers) bibs, some typical posters of the marches for human rights that display photos of the disappeared. The cry of “Present” when one of the 8 honorees is mentioned by the Memory Commission that was created at the Conicet will also give warmth and color to the tribute, although in a more formal setting, far from the liturgy and the display of a popular mobilization.

Although the use of the chinstrap is strictly respected, there were more kisses, hugs and greetings hand in hand than other times. The pandemic allows these licenses and this face-to-face meeting that was so missed. There is a taste of reunion. The delivery of reconstructed files to relatives or relatives of the 8 scientists who were disappeared during the dictatorship that the Conicet managed to identify enhances the emotions. The mother of Dante Guede, one of her honorees, a former member of the Argentine Institute of Radio Astronomy, goes up with her white headscarf and wakes up one of the biggest ovations of the morning.

In speeches by officials, including the President, there were not many allusions to the political moment that the ruling party is experiencing. Pietragalla highlights that it is a day of reflection, in “moments that attack us a lot”.

Fernández mentioned that every March 24, Argentina unites to repudiate what happened that day in 1976, 46 years ago: “There are no differences there, there we have no distances, some are more progressive, others more Peronist, others of a different colorbut we all know that there was a March 24 that persecuted, killed, made disappear, condemned to exile and postponed Argentina like never before had a government postponed it”.

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