ARGENTINA: RALLY CALLING FOR GREATER PUBLIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BUENOS AIRES 001977

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA TOM SHANNON, JOHN MAISTO, AND CHARLES SHAPIRO
NSC FOR DAN FISK
TREASURY FOR DAS NANCY LEE
USCINCSO FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/01/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL AR
SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: RALLY CALLING FOR GREATER PUBLIC
SECURITY CHALLENGES PRESIDENT KIRCHNER

Classified By: CDA, a.i., Michael Matera, Reasons 1.4(b) and (d)


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Anti-crime advocate Carlos Blumberg filled
the symbolically important Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires last
night in a peaceful demonstration calling on the Kirchner
government to provide increased public security. Event
organizers succeeded in attracting a large crowd, despite
efforts by President Kirchner's allies to upstage the event
or scare away participants. Blumberg called for the creation
of a unified national police force, reform of the penal code,
and a stronger counternarcotics campaign. Blumberg took
pains to avoid the appearance of a campaign rally in an
effort to counter the accusations of Kirchner supporters that
the event was really an anti-Kirchner campaign assembly. The
counter-march organized by piquetero leader and close
Kirchner ally Luis D'Elia 500 meters away from the Plaza de
Mayo failed to attract more than a few thousand participants.
D'Elia, accompanied by other Kirchner allies like Carlos
Kunkel and piquetero leader Emilio Persico, referred to the
participants in Blumberg's rally as "fascists" tied to the
former military dictatorship and accused Blumberg of "using
the cadaver of his son as a stepping stone to rise in his
political career." END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) Anti-crime advocate Carlos Blumberg managed to fill
the symbolically important Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires for
a rally last night calling for increased public security,
despite efforts by President Nestor Kirchner's allies to
upstage the event or scare away participants. Organizers
placed the attendance at 180,000 to 300,000 people, while
informal government sources quoted in pro-government media
claimed a much lower figure. The police did not issue a
formal crowd estimate. (Comment: The Blumberg rally appeared
to fill the same amount of space as Kirchner's "Plaza de Si"
on May 25, which is significant because most of the
participants in Kirchner's May rally were bused in and paid
by government organizers, while Blumberg's rally was composed
of ordinary citizens who arrived by their own means. End
Comment.)


3. (SBU) In his speech, Blumberg appealed to the GOA for
increased security measures and took pains to avoid the
appearance of an anti-Kirchner campaign rally, while
acknowledging the GOA actions to prevent the march. Blumberg
called for the creation of a unified national police force,
reform of the penal code, and a stronger counternarcotics
campaign. Although major opposition leaders, such as
Republican Proposal's (PRO) Mauricio Macri and Ricardo Lopez
Murphy attended the rally, they did not speak or appear on
stage. Blumberg asked that respect be paid to Argentina's
elected officials when the crowd began to boo after President
Kirchner and Buenos Aires Governor Felipe Sola's names were
mentioned. Organizers requested that no political signs be
displayed, and even discouraged the carrying of Argentine
flags. (Note: Organizers for the May 25 Kirchner rally
distributed Argentine flags to the crowd and made the
national flag a central theme of the May 25 event. End
Note.) Blumberg referenced the efforts by Kirchner allies to
prevent last night's gathering, such as cutting off
Blumberg's phone service and trying to create a climate of
fear by holding a nearby counter-rally an hour ahead of time
that also made it more difficult for people to enter the
Plaza de Mayo to attend Blumberg's event. After the rally,
Kirchner and his top officials refused to receive Blumberg's
written statement that he tried to personally deliver at the
Casa Rosada, and Blumberg was directed to Vice President
Daniel Scioli.


4. (SBU) The counter-march organized by piquetero leader and
close Kirchner ally Luis D'Elia 500 meters away from the
Plaza de Mayo failed to attract more than a few thousand
participants. Crowd estimates placed the attendance at
3000-5000. The nominal head of the rally, Nobel Prize winner
Perez Esquivel refused to take part in the event, accusing
D'Elia of hijacking the program. D'Elia, accompanied by
other Kirchner allies like Carlos Kunkel and piquetero leader
Emilio Persico, referred to the participants in Blumberg's

BUENOS AIR 00001977 002 OF 002


rally as "fascists" tied to the former military dictatorship.
D'Elia accused Blumberg of "using the cadaver of his son as
a stepping stone to rise in his political career." (Note:
Carlos Blumberg lost his only son Axel in a botched
kidnapping in 2004, which led the engineer to dedicate the
last two years as an anti-crime advocate. End Note.)


5. (C) COMMENT: Blumberg's rally is significant because this
is the first time since assuming the presidency that Kirchner
has been challenged in the politically significant Plaza de
Mayo right outside the front door of the Casa Rosada.
Leading political commentators conclude that the rally
represented a defeat for the Kirchner government, both in
terms of their efforts to prevent a sizable turnout and to
promote a successful counter-rally. The idea of organizing a
counter-rally against a citizens' march for greater public
security was a tough sell for Kirchner's allies, and their
efforts to keep people away from Blumberg's event by creating
a climate of fear of violence and by reducing access to the
Plaza de Mayo failed. Blumberg says that he is not seeking
any political office. However, the success of last night's
rally will only increase the center-right opposition's
courting of Blumberg as a possible candidate for Governor of
Buenos Aires in the 2007 elections. END COMMENT.


MATERA