Claudio Andrade
08/29/2020 - 18:20
- Clarín.com
- Society
A caravan of about 50 vehicles that was heading along Route 40 towards Villa Mascardi was stopped by the Río Negro Police at the entrance to Lake Gutiérrez, about 10 kilometers from downtown Bariloche.
This march had been called for Saturday afternoon by groups that claim against land seizures. But on Friday night, it was decided that the rally would be held at the Bariloche Civic Center to avoid confrontations, as the organizers had finally agreed after speaking with Governor Arabela Carreras.
However, an important group of protesters - more than a hundred vehicles - tried to reach the ACA of the town , which is located 35 kilometers from the city. This group decided not to focus on downtown Bariloche.
The premises of the Automobile Club Argentino (ACA) in Villa Mascardi. The protesters from Bariloche wanted to reach this place, but the Police did not allow them. Photo Google Street View.
"I come to ask citizens not to embark on any madness," the provincial president requested on Thursday through the local media. Carreras traveled especially to Bariloche to deactivate the caravan.
Another fraction made up of about 60 vehicles concentrated on the Diarco roundabout, in the Alto neighborhood of the city. Some of them were not convinced of declining their first intention of going to Mascardi as indicated in the Facebook group "Support for the residents of Villa Mascardi." That group already has 1,300 members, 400 more than on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Civic Center is gradually filling up with flags and vehicles that agreed to remain in the town.
“There are a good number who wanted to move on and went to Mascardi. In any case, it will not be possible to get there through the police control, the others go to the Civic Center, ” one of the participants who is in the organization told Clarín . "We are going to go with the family, we understand that other people did not want to join," said another of the protesters who was preparing to leave his house.
In the caravan stopped by police personnel, there were many Argentine flags that waved between the honks . Not being able to continue, the drivers got out of their vehicles and discussed the alternatives among themselves in a day characterized by the cold - it is 5 degrees - and the wind.
In Mascardi, community members were waiting for protesters and had set tires on Route 40 . That meeting did not finally happen.
"What was sought was to prevent people from arriving, beyond the fact that they are exercising a right that is to demonstrate . But more than anything, it was to avoid some consequence or some act of confrontation that may occur there in the Mascardi area," said the Commissioner Gustavo Llanqueleo, from Regional III, to Noticiero Seis.
Governor Carreras negotiated with the organizers until the last minute to dismantle the trip to the ACA. “I look at her with concern (to the march). Not because it is not legitimate to accompany residents of Mascardi. Raising the tone of the conflict is not a solution, "he told El Cordillerano radio. “You have to distinguish what 99% of the communities are that coexist with neighbors and dialogue with the provincial state. There is a specific and minority group that absolutely complicates the dialogue ”, she added.
Protesters with the Argentine flag, in the Plaza de El Bolsón. There was also a claim against the occupation of land. Photo News from El Bolsón
Among the protesters who were blocked on Route 40, complaints were heard against the governor and the Rio Negro police who, in their view, prevent them from demonstrating. "They can commit crimes there but we cannot arrive in a caravan to the sector when it is our right," said a protester on the way to Mascardi. "It is clear: the Government is concerned about a march and not the occupation of public lands, the burning of houses and attacks on tourists in #VillaMascardi," wrote PRO provincial legislator Juan Martín on his Twitter account.
On the other hand, the National Park Rangers Union sent a letter on Friday to the president of National Parks, Daniel Somma, denouncing the “institutional neglect” and the “lack of labor guarantees” for those who carry out tasks in the Mascardi area administered by the Nahuel Huapi National Park.
Since 2017, the Lafken Winkul Mapu community has been annexing more than 35 hectares of private land and National Parks. Within this framework, more than 30 attacks were registered , including burning of houses, assaults, threats, usurpations and robberies, among others. On November 25 of that year, Rafael Nahuel (22) died during a confrontation between Mapuche militants and a group of agents from the Argentine Naval Prefecture.
The conflict in El Bolsón
In El Bolsón this Saturday another march was called in Plaza Pagano and between 400 and 500 people gathered there. The settlers claim for the occupation of 60 hectares in the Federal Reserve of Mirador del Azul and Cabeza del Indio. On Friday 21, more than 100 people representing 140 families entered the property and began to build precarious homes and cut down trees.
The case took on significance when a video of the mayor , Bruno Pogliano, went viral , demanding the presence of the National Gendarmerie to vacate the land. The national government sent 22 agents of the Airport Security Police (PSA) this Thursday to guard the Forest Reserve and prevent the entry of new families and construction materials.
But this Saturday morning, a PSA vehicle was stoned by unknown persons , which caused the glass to break. It is a van that transfers the agents. They are reportedly analyzing the security cameras in the area to detect the attackers.
Bariloche. Correspondent
ACE