Cristina Fernández leaving her home this Friday. /
The Plaza de Mayo has been the great epicenter of the demonstrations, called by organizations close to the ruling party on a day declared a national holiday by the Government to encourage mobilization
Under the slogan ‘With the flag to defend democracy’, thousands of people have demonstrated this Friday throughout Argentina to condemn the attempted assassination of the vice president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. The great epicenter of the protests was the Plaza de Mayo, in Buenos Aires, the capital, where a crowd expressed its rejection of the “attack” with banners and portraits of the former Peronist president.
The call, launched by political and union organizations close to the ruling party, resulted in a human tide that became visible throughout the country after the Government declared the day a national holiday so that “in peace and harmony the people can express themselves in defense of life”, argued the president, Alberto Fernández.
The assassination attempt, perpetrated on Thursday night by a 35-year-old Brazilian citizen with a criminal record, has managed to unite Argentina, a politically fractured country plunged into a very serious economic crisis due to runaway debt and inflation. The rejection of violence has been imposed and, despite the differences of thought, the bulk of the political arch has strongly disapproved of what happened, including former conservative president Mauricio Macri, leader of the opposition. The powerful Industrial Union, which brings together companies and employers’ chambers, as well as the Supreme Court of Justice, also added their voices of condemnation.
“I am going to the Plaza de Mayo in the first place in support of democracy, in the second place in support of Cristina, so that she knows that we are here, and third, to see if the Argentines wake up and understand that this path is not going,” he said. AFP Adriana Spina, a 61-year-old retired teacher who does not usually participate in demonstrations.
Protesters display banners in Buenos Aires in support of the former president. /
While the demonstration was taking place, Cristina Fernández was captured leaving her home with a smiling gesture. This is the first image of the vice president after the attack suffered on Thursday night, when a man pointed a gun at her face. The veteran politician did not comment, but she excitedly greeted her supporters before getting into a black vehicle with her security personnel.
Meanwhile, Argentine government sources have reported that “the president has summoned representatives of the trade union, social, business, human rights sectors and different faiths to build a broad consensus against hate speech and violence at the Casa Rosada” .