- What time is it?
- quarter past two am
Yes, we look at each other and both understood that we have to remember
this time for the rest of our lives. We were standing at the gates,
almost against the gates of the Pink House, symbol of power in
Argentina. Never before had any rally reached this point.
And in such a way.
And where to start, if not there? How to put in order so many mixed
emotions, so many images, so many events? We ask for forgiveness for
this report, still written with the accre flavor of the gas in the nose.
We hope to be able to put some order in everything we lived in this day.
At 11:00pm and while we were walking through San Juan Av, corner with
Boedo, it was possible to hear some spans hitting against the balconies.
We left behind a whole building making noises. Cars were passing by
sounding their claxons and a couple of blocks ahead, you could see
families blocking only a small part of the avenue.
We carry on walking, until a friendly car takes us to the Parlament, a
place to which people was already selfconvening (autoconvocando, please
check).
Selfconvening clearly means that nobody called to this rally. Groups of
neighbours organized a "cacerolazo" (span bitting) in Almagro and maybe
in other neighbourhoods too, but nobody called to rally towards
Parlament.
Now, we were there and we were thousands. Again the spans, the stairs
fulled with people, whole families protesting and making noise.
What were they asking for? they were asking for Grosso leaving the
administration, the resignation of the Supreme Court, the reimbursement
of the deposits. But there was more that that. The slogan "everybody
out, nobody must stay" is still the favorite of everybody; was the most
shouted, even today, against the new government. This is not about
solely this or that dark character heard in the halls of power; this is
a click, something that broke very deeply and will not heal with one or
two resignations or with one election.
The rumor began spreadind and then became a song: "the people goes to
the Plaza, nobody will take us from there". A spontaneous column of
thousands, lost along Av. de Mayo, advances with decision. At the front,
the Argentina's flag and each step it seems we are increasing in number.
We advance to see their arrival and we verify once mote; we are
thousands and thousands entering the Plaza.
And more people is coming, and the mothers come and the "motoqueros"
with a hugh ovation, embraced by the people; the victims had today their
memorial there, the best they could ask for,
First a photographer jumped. Then, a grandfather said he wanted to enter
by force in order to speak with the president. Then the youngsters. Five
minutes after, at quarter past two exactly there were all of us. The
fences gave in in short time, the police deployed towards a side and
there we were; facing the doors of the Pink House, that from now on is
no more sacred.
We entered the arcade shouting what we all wanted; that everybody
leaves, that no one must stay. We saw faces of emotion, faces of
surprise, curious looking from behind and advancing a little to have the
pleasure of touching it, of feeling it theirs.
The people was inflamed; the news on Grooso's resignation spread like a
flash, but only increased the mood; many wanted to repeat the same as
last week, that everybody leaves, that no one remains.
From Moyano to the radicals, going through Menem and Rodriguez Saa,
everybody was a protagonist of the songs: without peronists, without
radicals, we are going to live better", was also shouted.
And now? the answer was once again answered by the police. They did it
in such a way as to later present it as an act of own defense: they sent
two "policemen" to "persuade" the whole multitude.
Obviously, they were not well received by the multitude and in abscense
of any "persuasion" the gas and rubber bullets started.
The two policemen, fat and strong, were the "sacrifice of the law
enforcement" to begin the represion.
With the first gases the mass of people begins running, through Diagonal
Norte and Av. de Mayo. An important group remains in the Plaza and
another group formed by a couple of thousands stays in Av. de Mayo. The
big majority of people leaves towards Parlament.
(Let's make a break to indicate the following: the rally divided in
three, maybe four groups, and nevertheless it was still huge).
The crowd in Plaza de Mayo holds, in Av. de Mayo barricades are put up.
Some let their anger out on the banks, billboards, bus stops. From the
balcony of an expensive hotel men in tuxedos watch the scene and make
gestures. A youth starts shouting to them: bourgeois sons of bitches and
the gestures multiply. A small anecdote: a bottle of cider is thrown
with good aim and hits one timely in the mouth.
In the Plaza the situation is becoming more tense. The majority of the
people is turning to Parlament and we all decide to go there.
In Parlament, there is a show of bonfires on the stairs. We don't
remember asking for the time anymore. Those more decided enter and begin
to throw things to feed the bonfire, until the entrance to the Parlament
becomes one. They say that inside, deep inside, there is also people
taking things out. They take out a bust and someone screams not to throw
it. Pleople struggle over it until one manifestant takes it and throws
it in the fire.
Minutes before the infantry was overflowed. Then once again the gases
began, just as the bust went down. Now they are more and it seems that
the water tank is also coming. People retrieves while a strong group
resists. They leave through Callao, kind of running but immediately
walking; police loves see you running, they feel bigger, it disorganizes
us. The shout not to run is generalized.
Now everyone retrieves and some shout to the Court, to the Court! they
want to go to the Supreme Court of Justice, the same court appointed two
years ago in an agreement between the peronists and the radicals.
No one runs now; we make bonfires, little barricades.
Others show no mercy towards the banks.
The police advances towards us again. The air becomes unbreathable and
in one second they appear from every direction. We turn, we have no
other choice. We march through dark streets and in every corner, in
every single one of them trucks appear, gases and civilian cars appear
with rubber bullets, it's an ambush.
We get out as we can. There is no possibility of hidding and organizing
a resistance is hard. All of us, every single one, throws anything they
can to obstruct the police. We turn and once again the ambush. A small
group of us remain, trapped in one block. Cars make way for us and take
us out of there. In the streets people is still running. The police
operation goes six or seven blocks around, at this time they seem
endless.
We finally get out of there. The sun begins to come out and the phones
start ringing to see how is everybody. By now the news reports on three
arrested, but at half an hour from the end it is hard to tell.
It seems like history does not give us a break. Let's not give it one.
 argentina@indymedia.org
 http://argentina.indymedia.org
Translated by Ester Cabral,  accionglobal-trad@yahoogroups.com