[ARGENTINA: NATIVE PEOPLES] Stop murders and outrages. Oust Insfrán! Cristina's government is accomplice

Friday, June 7th 2013

June 6th and 7th: Everybody to the protest in Plaza de Mayo!

SUPPORT NATIVE PEOPLES

Stop murders and outrages. Oust Insfrán! Cristina's government is accomplice

On Thursday and Friday native peoples will be claiming for their rights in the political center of Argentina: the Plaza de Mayo [May Square, TN]. This is a central fact because the native peoples, that were organized while the Bicentennial rallies [governmental rallies to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the 1810's uprising, TN], are now showing the farce of the 'winning decade' [as kirchnerists call the 10 years government of Cristina and Nestor Kirchner, TN]. Three years after, their claims not only remain unsatisfied, but they also suffer every day as they are hunted and killed by the kirchnerist governors. The most emblematic example is, without question, the despicable murderous Gildo Insfrán, who is the kirchnerist governor of Formosa. Thus, this is a turning point for the native people and the popular militancy that supports kirchnerism.

This protest, also, is not just the continuity of the Dialogue Table organized between the kirchnerists' officials, the Qoms [native people, TN] and the Human Rights Organizations. Mainly it has to be analyzed related to the historic protest camp that native peoples developed in Avenida de Mayo [May Avenue, central Avenue in the center of Buenos Aires, TN], until they were expelled by a gang of members of La Cámpora [ultra-kirchnerist organization, TN] led by deputy Larroque (in 2011). Today, two years after that, the native peoples are still fighting. Today, half a year after they sent an open letter to the presidency on November 18th 2012, asking for an urgent meeting, native peoples are pointing Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in the focus of their denounce.

In fact, even Nora Cortiñas, a Madre de Plaza de Mayo [organization of relatives of the political murdered in the last dictatorship, symbol of the struggle for democratic rights, TN] has stated in a press conference that the Qom community is "criminally under attack" and she addressed the president Cristina Kirchner to ask their personal intervention in order to make their rights respected. "We cannot tolerate any more the attacks, the murders, the tortures that these criminals do. They don't act by they own, but following orders against this community". These striking words finished with a demolishing statement against kirchnerism and Cristina herself: "silence is pain, and it offense us". This is a crucial moment for the popular militants to draw conclusions about the nature of kirchnerism and choose their side: in the Plaza de Mayo with the Qom or with the silent that guarantee the impunity of the killers as Insfrán.

We, the Tendencia Piquetera Revolucionaria (TPR), are firmly with the native people and that's why we always were in the 2011 camp with the Qom's community "La Primavera" in Avenida de Mayo, that's why the leader of TPR, Juan Marino, was in Formosa to participate in the National Summit of the Indigenous Peoples and Organizations, which slogan was "Memory, Truth and Justice for the Indigenous Peoples" and that´s why we are going to participate in the protest in Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires. We openly call the trade unions, the student federations, the left and all the popular organizations to be together with the native people.

REPUDIATE THE SILENT GENOCIDE OF THE NATIVE PEOPLE IN ARGENTINA

This protest is not an isolated act, but it is the conclusion of three years of struggle after the foundation of the Native Peoples and Organizations Summit, that had a meeting Cristina in the Bicentennial. In that meeting, "the president recognized that if there were oil in the lands of one community, this will me more important than the will of the native people. It was the higher sign about the priority of extractives industries over the native peoples' rights. The Consejo Plurnacional [Plurinational Council, TN] was beaten. The organizations who were closer to the government stopped their claims for the native peoples' rights over the lands, received the governmental subsidies, celebrate the community radios given by the government and didn't denounce the extractive policy neither the National Government any more" (OPSur, June 3rd).

But this oral and conceptual violence (the vindication of the murder to serve the capitalist interest) is not the only one. During 2013, the national government and the regional ones, despite its political side in the national crisis, had selectively killed the native people. Javier Chocobar, Sandra Juárez, Esperanza Nieva, Roberto López, Mario López, Mártires López, Cristian Ferreyra, Miguel Galván, Juan Daniel Asijak, Imer Flores, Celestina Jara and her granddaughter are only ones of the peasants and native people killed (and passed away in dubious accidents).

In the south, due to the responsibility of Sapag [governor, TN], guarantor of the oil plunder, "the Mapuche [native people of southern west Argentina and southern Chile, TN] Winkul Newen community, located in Paraje Portezuelo Chico, 25 kilometers away from Cutral Co city, in Neuquén, was surrounded by the multinational Apache on February 14th". The Police, the private security of the company (Prosegur) and company executives went to attempt a new eviction. (www.anred.org, February 15th)

The government and the "regional parliament in Santiago del Estero [central north province, TN] decided to take the lands to develop a real estate project. They wanted the Tonocotés Lands, where 23 native families live". The consequence was 2 detained, Walter Barraza and Fredy Lunas, and several  people were beaten and wounded with rubber bullets, including a 3-years-old girl and a pregnant woman among them, besides hundreds of repressed people who were struggling in the Patio de Froilán, also evicted. (www.anred.org, May 24th)

In the beginning of January, the Tilcara's people [native people, TN] were attacked by family Mendoza landlords in Jujuy. For instance, on January 11th, 5 members of that community were brutally assaulted by the landlords gang. Mendoza landlords are those who dispute the Community Lands to the Cueva del Inca del Pueblo Tilcara Community. Among the victims was "José Sajana, authority of the Regional Council of Cochinoca Communities (ww.anred.org, January 20th). Also the Wichi community in La Puntana, close to Tartagal [Salta province, TN] was brutally attacked several times this year.

In Tigre municipality, ruled by Sergio Massa (who wants to be a right-wing renewal within kirhnerism), lives "the Qom community Yecthakay, constituted by 60 families located in different neighborhoods of Pacheco" (www.anred.org, Febraury 28th). There also lives the businessman Jorge O’Reilly, who wants to own the native lands of Punta Querandí. O’Reilly, we must underline, was Sergio Massa's assessor when the last was National Ministers Chief in 2008 and 2009.

In Chaco, on May 7th a 6-years-old Qom child was crushed by a van while he was collecting food in an illegal dump. His death was 4 month after the murder of another Qom child, 12-years-old Imer Flores, who was beaten by a gang and his body was thrown to the river side in Villa Rio Bermejito (Chaco province). Also in Chaco was killed during a demonstration Florentín Díaz, member of Curushy community, due to police repression in Juan José Castelli against protestors of 13 communities -the Qom among them- who were blocking the route 95. The repression finished with at least 50 injured and 100 arrested and continued with raids inside the neighborhoods, like the last military dictatorship.

Lastly, in the end of May in Misión Laishí village (Formosa province), a 14-years-old teenager member of Qom community was beaten by 3 young criminals that were trying to rape her. The police didn´t defend her, but arrested her cousin because of being transvestite.

INSFRÁN SYSTEMATICALLY ATTACKS FÉLIX DÍAZ [Qom leader, TN] AND DON'T GIVE MEDICAL ATTENTION TO QOMS

Félix Díaz is the qarashe [leader, TN] of the Qom community La Primavera, the most crowded and organized native location in Gran Chaco region. He was democratically elected by the majority of his people in 2011, after years of a leadership promoted by the State, which was against the people's interest. In addition, the last Indigenous Summit elected the qarashe Félix Díaz and the spiritual authority of the Wuarpe People, Amta Argentina Quiroga, as official spokesmen.

This is why Féliz Díaz is being systematically attacked by Insfrán. In a press conference Aldo Etchegoyen [methodist bishop, TN] said that it is remarkable that "in April 2011 the Inter American Human Rights Commission raised a formal request to the Argentinian government asking for the physical protection of Féliz Díaz family and the Qom community. On April 10th 2013 a protocol was signed where provincial officials and National Human Rights secretary Martín Fresneda set how police can act inside La Primavera community. After a month of that, the son of Félix Díaz is attacked. I do understand this as a provocation of Insfrán government, willing to show that in his province he rules as he wants" (Página 12, May 10th)

Just after the protocol was signed, walls in Formosa were written with slogans: "Félix, prophet of hate", showing that it was an organized action. Meanwhile, divisions inside the community were sought, by "corrupted elements paid by Infran's government" or "evangelical priest, who are part of a governmental strategy to divide the community". Actually, Félix has 4 legal cases, 2 of them due to "encroachment"...of the lands he owns.

Even more, the National Senate approved a formal repudiation, requested by the Formosa deputies, of an article of Matín Granovsky, published in Página/12, where the situation of the Qom was denounced: kirchnerists senators approved this (an incredible act as it was against a journalist article), as a way to ingratiate and pave the way the pseudo-fascist Gildo insfrán, because kirchnerism is accomplice of the attacks against Qom community. Is in this situation that the son of Félix Díaz (Abelardo Díaz) was brutally attacked by a 20 people gang. In the words of the Insfrán's government officials, it was a "guys fight".

"Félix is afraid, we are all afraid, and we want to continue the struggle, but we want our child to be safe", said Amanda Asijak, the wife of the La Primavera community chief, in Formosa. In the beginning of the year a Félix's nephew died due to a beat in his head. The Qom also denounced that many of their members died due to lack of medical care. To the list we have to add Delina Díaz, nephew of the leader, Félix Díaz. His father, Guillermo Díaz, had died on April 7th in Formosa's hospital with a kidney infection. Moreover, another woman member of La Primavera, Justina López died because of tuberculosis. Pablo Sanagachi passed away due to the same disease in Febraury. Delina was 51 years old and she had been suffering arthritis during 6 years.

The Qom clearly denounce that they were demanding for medical assistance since 5 or 6 years ago. Félix explained that in his nephew example, a doctor who was taking care of her was replaced without explanation. "They chose another doctor, an obstetrician, who didn't understand the complex situation. The provincial government chose this doctor to say we had assistance. We demanded the return of the former doctor, who was very good, she didn't discriminate us. (Formosa's government) thinks that saving lives is a danger. When the doctor we defended wanted to remain in charge, they threated her, saying his husband would be fired and wouldn't have any income. She felt menaced and was compelled to abandon the community without saying goodbye. This is a sad moment I am living again. I don't know how to continue. I don't know where to demand. I feel helpless facing this tragic situation. It seems that we live in a country where there are not human rights. I would like Argentina to be a country for all of us. I would like to get rid of these difficulties we have every day for being native or claiming for our lands rights”.

As it is written in www.plazademayo.com, the same happened with Paco, a Wichi old man, member of the community 30th kilometer in Formosa. His daughter died due to childbirth complications. But actually, it was not a natural death, because she "was waiting 10 hours the ambulance while went through agonies".

THE PEOPLES SUMMIT: FIGTHERS AGAINST PLUNDER, MURDER, REPRESSION AND CRIMINALIZATION OF POPULAR STRUGGLES

With all this anger because of so many injustices, the native people’s congress took place. Fifteen peoples assited: Mbya Guaraní, Wichí, Pilagá, Nivaklé, Kolla, Lule, Mapuche, Tehuelche, Selknam, Qom Formosa, Qom Chaco, Mocoví, Komechingón, Tonocoté and Diaguita. The police tried to mix up the participants, saying that the congress was postponed, but they didn't succeed.

Among the central issues was pointed the "non-fulfillment" of the Emergency Law 26.160, which bans the eviction of native communities while a national investigation to determine their territory is not carried. Also they claim for the “Consultation Right”, that means, the sovereign decision of each native people about their own natural resources (Cristina said in 2010 that it was going to be respected) and their decision about if any activity performed there is pollutant or not. Last, it was claimed that the articles about Native Community Property should be erased from the Civil Code and a Especial Law about lands and territories, with native peoples’ participation.

Also they demanded a "definitive solution to the big conflict concerning lands and ancestral community territories", the "acknowledgement of qarashe Félix Díaz as legal and legitimate authority, directly elected by his community fellows" and "regarding the harassment and threats against the community members: finish the repression".

A sign of the political quality of the Summit conclusions was that it characterized the native people as victim of the imperialist plunder. For instance, it denounced that the native territories in the south suffer the hydrocarbon contamination, exacerbated by Fracking, the mega-mining companies and the soybean expansion. The document denounced the complicity between kirchnerist government and the 'independent justice' to absolve Chevron and allow its unpunished operations in Neuquén, damaging mapuches [native people, TN].

All the political document makes anyone think again and again. ‘winning decade’? Not, kirchnerist imposture.

THE MOTHERLAND ["patria", in Spanish, and mainly in Latin-American countries, also has the meaning of nation, TN] ARE THE NATIVE PEOPLES AND WORKERS. INSFRÁN-BARRICK GOLD-MONSANTO-CHEVRON ARE NOT

[FOTO: Félix son beat by a gang related with Gildo Insfrán]

If it's true that a picture says more than one thousand words, Félix Díaz was quite sharp when he asserted: "I was not surprised when I saw Insfrán aside the President. He is not there by chance. He is a governor with power who does what he want" talking about the May 25th celebration, about the ten years supposedly ‘won’ (La Nación, 26/5). The truth, as the native people summit showed, is that this was a decade of soya and repression.

The brothers [how members of native peoples’ communities refers themselves, TN] and comrades know very well that in 2011 the TPR was supporting day and night their camp, that we always fought with them and that we proposed to fight to oust Insfrán. The conclusion was clear: if Cristina doesn’t break with Insfrán, therefore we have to break with Cristina and fight with the left. Nowadays, in 2013, that conclusion is inescapable.

But this conclusion is not only ours, also the brothers and comrades themselves are starting to understand it. Valentín Suarez, who is a leader of the Formosa Communities’ Native Council said: "If our rights are not being respected, we are going to demand the resignation of the governor. This has a name and a surname. It has its source. The police couldn't act alone. They are following orders. Who is supposed to take care of us? Who can stop all this? Who are going to be responsible? Nobody seems to be." (www.misionescuatro.com, 6/6).

We, the TPR, do think that the rights of the native people are being systematically and openly trampled, so we have to oust Insfrán through the struggle of natives and all the people. We have to overthrow the Insfrán's government because it is a symbol of the impunity against native people. It's a matter of life or death.

That's why this political statement aims to contribute the denunciation of the outrages and abuses suffered due to this governments. We, the TPR, decided to point out each case because we firmly believe that each injustice against native peoples must be known and be a flag for all the fighters. The motherland is the native peoples and workers, neither Insfrán nor Barrick Gold, neither Monsanto nor Chevron. The motherland are the Qom, and all the tobas, mapuches, guaraníes, collas, pilagás, etc. It is not Insfrán 'the killer', nor Sapag [Neuquén governor, TN], neither Gerardo Morales [UCR’s leader, TN], nor Massa, or any of those governors and mayors that represse the native peoples to ensure the plunder.

To defend the QOM, we have to denounce openly that kirchnerism is accomplice in supporting a killer as governor of Formosa. Cristina and Néstor [Kirchner, TN] accede to the government helped by the murderer of piqueteros [workers struggling that make pickets, TN] in the Puente Pueyrredon: Eduardo Duhalde [he was the president when a brutal police repression killed two piqueteros, Maximiliano Kosteki and Darío Santillán, in a protest over the Pueyrredon Bridge, TN]. They ruled all this time with Aníbal Fernández, co-responsible of that massacre. Today, they are still supporting vile killers as Insfrán. This is the reality.

We, the Tendencia Piquetera Revolucionaria state: Stop the tramples and killings against the native peoples. Oust Insfrán! Cristina's government is accomplice.

TPR
Tendencia Piquetera Revolucionaria

Contact: Juan Marino +54 (911) 156 335 9278

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@JuanMarinoTPR

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