A-Infos (en) France, UCL AL #371 - International - 1976: The Dictatorship Was Born in Argentina (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

March 24, 2026, marked the somber 50th anniversary of the Argentine 
junta's coup d'état, which led to unprecedented repression and the 
murder of 30,000 people between 1976 and 1982. March 24, known as Dia 
Nacional de la Memoria por la Justicia y la Verdad[3], is a public 
holiday in Argentina that always sees a large turnout. But on the 50th 
anniversary, and while the government of Javier Milei is engaging in 
near-total denial of the events, the mobilization was massive, bringing 
together up to a million people in the streets across the country, 
making it one of the largest demonstrations in recent years.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the military 
dictatorship in Argentina, the marches on March 24th brought together 
anarchist and communist activists, trade unionists, civil and memorial 
associations, opposition parties including the Peronist movement[1], and 
people from all walks of life, as the subject remains important in 
Argentine society today. Many families have lost loved ones. The primary 
aim is to keep alive the memory of the 30,000 disappeared, including 
many communist and anarchist activists, but also to continue demanding 
the truth about what happened. Indeed, the demands of the "Grandmothers 
of the Plaza de Mayo" movement, who began publicly protesting in 1977 to 
find out what had become of their children and grandchildren, remain 
relevant today.

Even today, the fate of some of the infants, or children born in 
captivity, of prisoners of the dictatorship who were abducted and placed 
with families supporting the junta remains unknown. Beyond this burning 
issue, if the work of remembrance in Argentina has been relatively 
successful, it is thanks to the significant struggles and incredible 
tenacity of various activists who never wavered, even when 
post-dictatorship politicians sought to bury the subject in the name of 
national reconciliation. Unfortunately, this memory of the dictatorship 
is now in danger.

Current events echo the past.
This significant mobilization takes place within the context of Javier 
Milei's government, which has repeatedly expressed sympathy for the 
dictatorship, denying or minimizing its crimes and seeking at all costs 
to erase all traces of its memory. He has stated on numerous occasions 
that the figure of 30,000 deaths is exaggerated. Its vice-president, 
Victoria Villaruel, who has close ties to the military, is a notorious 
denier of the dictatorship's crimes. The demands for truth, justice, and 
remembrance on March 24th are all the more crucial given the state's 
attempts to reverse this history.

Poster from our comrades in Argentina: "Fifty years after the coup, the 
dictatorship has materialized with the Milei government. In memory of 
our disappeared anarchist comrades and for the 30,000 victims. Our 
greatest tribute: to continue the fight!"
Anarchist Federation of Rosario
The question of memory remains relevant, particularly because the Milei 
government is implementing a policy of extreme social violence against 
its population. This March 24th was not only a commemoration of the 
dictatorship, but also an important moment of struggle to oppose the 
current government and its attacks on the working class.

The Trap of Co-optation
The recently passed labor law[2]further precariousizes workers and has 
been the source of much criticism in the streets and official discourse. 
Milei's deadly neoliberal policies have only increased inequality since 
she came to power. Her close ties to Trump and Israel have also been 
particularly criticized. Those protesting in Argentina are aware of the 
importance of fighting against both the injustices of the past and those 
of today. But the risk of co-optation is also present.

Indeed, numerous opposition political groups across the spectrum have 
been prominent during the demonstrations. While almost all of them 
displayed support, sometimes superficial, for the movement, they were 
also the first to try to exploit it. This includes Kirchnerist Peronists 
demanding the release of former President Cristina Kirchner, convicted 
of corruption, anti-Kirchnerist Peronists, and other parties seeking to 
co-opt the movement for the 2027 presidential election. It is crucial 
not to let them co-opt this struggle. The issues of historical memory 
are not merely debates among historians, but a fundamental element of 
the history of our social movement, experienced firsthand and a constant 
source of inspiration for today's struggles.

The strong mobilization of 2026 demonstrates that the struggle is 
possible in Argentina and that it must continue. Faced with the 
reactionary waves that constantly attack us throughout the world, both 
in our past and our present, we must stand united. Memory struggles are 
fertile ground where we can encounter people who are not particularly 
politically engaged but are eager to fight for these crucial issues. It 
is up to us to be present and to broaden these struggles. UCL 
congratulates our sister organizations in Argentina who have been active 
in the mobilizations and who continue their grassroots work to keep 
anarchism alive in Argentina.

Sano (UCL Marseille)

Statement from Libertarian Organizations on the occasion of March 24, 2026

As we approach the 50th anniversary of the last coup d'état, memory is 
not an act of nostalgia, but of struggle. The dictatorship imposed, 
through bloodshed and violence, a national project serving the powerful, 
persecuting, torturing, and making thousands of comrades disappear who 
were fighting to fundamentally transform society. Today, as this project 
takes shape in new forms under Milei's neoliberal government, 
remembering the 30,000 means committing to continue organizing and 
fighting. For the best tribute to those who gave their lives for the 
cause of the oppressed is to continue their struggle, for a world 
without exploiters or oppression!

We pay tribute to our departed anarchist comrades, especially the 
anarchist trade union activists and those involved in the territorial 
experiment of Colonia Lola (Córdoba), as well as those who belonged to 
Libertarian Resistance (RL) and the Uruguayan Anarchist Federation 
(FAU), comrades who gave their all to put anarchism at the service of 
social struggles and the construction of libertarian socialism.

Long live those who fight!

OAC - Organización Anarquista de Córdoba FAR - Federación Anarquista de 
Rosario OAT - Organización Anarquista de Tucumán ORA - Organización 
Resistencia Anarquista (Buenos Aires) OASC - Organización Anarquista de 
Santa Cruz La Tordo Negro - organización anarquista entreriana 
Organización Impulso Anarquista (Neuquén-Río Negro)

To validate

[1]Dominant populist political movement in Argentina since the 1950s. It 
could be ultraliberal, far-right or centrist, its current incarnation.

[2]"Milei always cuts work more and more", Alternative libertaire n° 
370, April 2026.

[3]National Day of Remembrance for Justice and Truth.

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?1976-En-Argentine-naissait-la-dictature
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