[Marxism] Re: Mass Protest over Argentina Death

[Greg McDonald <sabocat59@xxxxxxx>]

The Reuters piece seems to be more in line with popular sentiment  
than the BBC piece, in terms of placing the blame squarely on Gov.  
Sobisch.

                Greg

Argentine teachers strike over death of colleague


Tue Apr 10, 2007 3:42AM BST
Reuters
By Cesar Illiano
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentine schoolteachers went on a one-day  
nationwide strike on Monday after a high school chemistry teacher was  
killed by police last week during a protest over pay.

In the capital, Buenos Aires, workers at banks, hospitals, government  
offices, and public transportation joined the strike for one hour.

Carlos Fuentealba, a 41-year-old teacher, died on Thursday, a day  
after he was hit in the head by a tear gas cartridge when police  
broke up a teachers' protest and roadblock in the southern province  
of Neuquen.

Many protesters blame the teacher's death on Neuquen Gov. Jorge  
Sobisch, who ordered police to break up the blockades and marches.

"Professor Carlos Fuentealba's assassin has a name. His name is  
Sobisch, and he must pay. He must go, he must answer for his crimes,"  
Hugo Yasky, president of the national teachers' union, said at a  
rally in Buenos Aires.

In the northern city of Salta, police fired tear gas at protesting  
teachers who broke off from a larger group and tried to enter the  
provincial legislature by force, local TV showed.

Center-left President Nestor Kirchner criticised the killing of  
Fuentealba, reiterating his stance that the police should not crack  
down on street protests.

"We strongly reject violence and, of course, those of us in the state  
must exercise with great responsibility the monopoly we have on  
security, particularly in these kinds of protests," Kirchner said.

"I will always act in favour of co-existence, even if it means they  
call me permissive."

The teacher's death has complicated Sobisch's presidential bid to  
unseat the popular Kirchner in October. Recent polls showed Sobisch  
with support in the single digits.

The protest in Neuquen last week came after many provinces said they  
do not have enough money to give teachers raises decreed by the  
central government.

A February government decree raised base salaries for Argentine  
teachers by 24 percent. Inflation last year was close to 10 percent  
and the base teacher's wage was raised to about $334 from $270 a  
month, which was below the poverty level for a four-person family.

In Neuquen on Monday, teachers painted the doors and windows of the  
provincial government building black. Signs posted throughout the  
city of Neuquen lambasted Sobisch, calling him a murderer and the  
enemy of workers.

The Patagonian province's teachers' union threatened to camp out in  
front of the government building until Sobisch replaced his education  
and justice ministers.

"They shot Carlos, but they shot not only him, they shot my entire  
family, and they also shot all those things he stood for," his widow,  
Sandra Rodriguez, told reporters.

(Additional reporting by Damian Wroclavsky)



© Reuters 2006. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution  
of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means,  
is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.  
Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and  
trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
Reuters journalists are subject to the Reuters Editorial Handbook  
which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
________________________________________________
YOU MUST clip all extraneous text before replying to a message.
Send list submissions to: Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism