Dia de la Memoria: 24th of March by Joaquin Herrero

Some students may have been wondering why on the 24th, on Friday of last month, we had a holiday. The truth is, it is not so much a holiday as a commemoration. It is not a cause of celebration, but rather, quiet contemplation and reflection among many argentines.

The reason lies in an event that happened 41 years ago, on the date: On the 24th of March, 1976, the military forces our host country meant to protect us committed treason on the highest level, overthrowing the President Isabel Perón. There was no bloodshed on the coup itself. But following it, during the entire dictatorship of 1976-1983, roughly 30,000 students, workers, union leaders, teachers, doctors, and news reporters became “Desaparecidos”, their bodies never found, most likely thrown into the Rio de la Plata, drugged, and still alive.

It is a horrible anniversary that, 41 years on, still is in the contemporary mind of every Argentine. One need only tune in the TV on that day to have seen all the coverage, all the rallies, all the speeches.

Let us remember, and most importantly, never let it happen again, either in Argentina or elsewhere.

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