1. The most widespread general strike in Argentinian country. The FUA (Argentine University Federation) calls for a 3. The depth of feeling and solidarity evidenced by are suspended sine die" at the University of Corrientes, for a edent strike are cite for in the inter else of La a MAY aa be captain of hate headed Barricades are sel up in the University arsas. The police respond JUNE 3 Reative calm in Cordoba: the Army control On the second of July 1966, General Ongania seized MAY 19 power with a military coup d'etat. His regime has been particularly facade of stability now completely shattered. Apart official sources, come by and it is still too carly to assess precisely the revolutionary signficance of the situation. But certain points must be made.
history although for only one day.
2. Students and workers fighting together and fightin desperately.
the occupations of town Cordoba. Planes were called in to dislodge the rebels.
4. We have (France, Pakistan, Ireland) but never extensive level against an organised dictatorship.
What follows is a diary of events put together with the help of many Argentinian comrades.
MAY 15 In Corrientes, a city in the North-Fast of Argentina, ( the police violently demonstration of students protesting the concession of University catering facilities to a private company, a change which doubled President to voice their demands. One student is killed and 25 wounded when the police open fire on the students. MAY 17 Solidarity demonstrations are organised by students in the provincial cities of Cordoba.
Tucuman, and Rosario, In Rosario another student is killed and two seriously wounded when pouce attempt to break up a information has been hard to MAY 20 The WEVE Indignation against the conduct of the among all sectors of the population. The Government decides to Rosario and week at Rosario and for a day in La Plata. seen worker-student solidarity before MAY 21 Rosario is on such an join the strike. Police attack a military and tear gas are exchanged. Police lose control of the situation and attack once again. One student is killed and another seriously WOULDE In Salta, ( another city disrupt a banquet attended by the Governor and other members of the local establishment. Tables and chairs are destroyed. The banquet guests answer with gunshots. In Buenos Aires, polic violently disperse a meeting of disperse go on strike. At the Faculty of Philesuphy and Tetlers the polic lisperse 300 students. Man police use teargas against 1000 students attending a religious service in honour of the students killed.
cities Demonstrations memory of the students killed by the police cortinue and muny wounded reported in the ciles of Tucuman and Buenos Aires.
MAY 23 Police on After as cage fine denie, La State of Emergency.
respectively hy Ongaro and Vandor, strike of 24 hours. Students at Cordoba, Mendeza, Tueumar. Salta, Bahia Blanca and la Plata come out on to the streets upported by the local population. Many of them shout ONGANIA ASESINO" (Ongania Assassin)
MAY 25 that want to usc students to further their own non-academic designs". Rumours of a probable coup d'etal or of a revolution begin to circulate.
to a general meeting of the Confederation which was to decide the date for a national strike. In Rosario a local strike paralyses ciry. reinstated. Numerous incidents continue occurring in 12 cities. The gravest in Buenos Aires where students confront the police. to stoning with tear-gas. 71 persons are arrested including newspupermer and photographers.
Students in Tucuman and Cordoba demonstrate patrolled. The armed forces take charge of internal security over in solidarity with students of Rosario and Corrientes. The University of La Plata is paralysed by a strike of student protest contines workersstudents alliance spread. In Buenos Aires 20 are arrested, and the cales in the student neighbourhoods are raided by the police, MAY 29 fter tear-gas is used to disperse groups of demonstrators. Th ituation continues to deteriorate in all the major cities of th trike on May 21. The death of young people causes widesprear strikes and violence.
police and authorilies. close the four Universities to be affected by the strike. Courses three years back.
completely paralysed by a work stoppage. Students, workers and small business peaceful demonstration. Stones while the rebels gain an upper hand. The mounted police regroup in the North West, students law students, and they decide tr students are arrested. In Cordoba bombed.
in bomage to the Rosario: After an exchange of fire between their bases. call for a national general in the Government.
occupation - is arrested in Cordoba, while on his was The death penalty, abolished in 19t6. is amidst the emerges as a real possibility.
The situalion remaine tonce the police. President Ongania warns the Trade Unions to stav ou of the events that are not their business. The call for a genera strike is understood to represent the consolidation"
agalast the Military regime. The student-police confrontations increase in intensity.
The most intense street battles to date break out between rioters and police forces in the city of Cordoba and the Government braces itself for nationwide There is wide agreement that the gathering confrontation between workers and students on the one hand and the armed forces and police on the other was presenting President Ongania with his severest test since he seized power in a military coup student — are killed and scores are wounded by small-arms fire At least three persons - two workers and 3 The riolers are reported to have set fire to the local officers club as woll as vehicles and other buildings. They control the city contre for four hours. At nightfall, the authorities in Cordoba send a plane to Buenos Aires to replenish supplies of tear-gas and ammunition. The country is placed under Votual martial law and the military command is given sweeping powers inciuding the power to sentence civilians to death for a wide range of effences The disturbances began when workers of the Kaiser-Renault plants march on the cily 3000 strong. They are joined by many more. The initial confrontations begin with the mounted police Who lose contrel of the situation.
The secretary of the CGT condemns the governor of Cordob and the Chief of Police for the numerous dead. The Army the moves in to control the siluation. Several public barklings are years and considered to be 90% effective. In Cordoba fighting continues between workers and parschate units of the army. It last over 12 hours. The confrontations extend to other cities such as Tueumar, Rosario and Mendeza. Ongania consults with the collaborationist" faction of the CG which was abliged to teletedly sure Generate to press fe lister of the Interior declares that *l situation has no precedents in the history of Argentina'". Several newspapers speak of "perfectly organised subversive action". The Ministers reject any posubiity of mass resignation of the Cabinet MAY 31 By this morring the protest of workers and students has cost at least 20 lives, 16 in the city of Cordoba itself. Sniper fire continues in spite of tolal militar JUNE 2 Mare than 30 dead, hundreds of wounded and the oitical estimate of he wuries our million colar "of Cordon: scverely repressed by the Armed Forces. In spite of Army control of the city where a curfew is in force, sporadic fighting continues. More than 500 persons have been arrested. Trade unionists have heen sentenced to many years in prison. The possibility of unity Trade Union movement against the Government the situation. Isolated shooting is heard. Tho curfew is lifted. Low lying aireraft spot snipers. Nevertheless
June 14 1969 lage 8 GET less than C14 per week. If she lives in, she loses a sizeable chunk of this to pay for her board and lodging. This disparity between this sum and the amount she could earn, for example as a secretary, shows socicty's relative priorities between industry and the NHS.
The whole trouble is symptomatic of the aftempt to undermine the Health Service started by the I shour Government's first introduction of prescription charges in 1949. Because of the low pay there is. not surprisingly, a staff shorlage in most hospitals. This means that relationships between patients and staff deteriorate through no fault of the nurses. Sometimes there simply wither sued students miar enough condemnations from spokesmen whose inaction has been revealed. instrumental in holding back the discontent among nurses, and preventing the disconten: from being channelled to press the nurses' case. Those concerned in running the organisations are ulder murses and sisters, who have done relatively well out of their jobs, and are not about to undertune a Inerarchy hased or pay differentals Jus: so that those at the bottom have cnough to live on. The voice of student and rank-and-file On the staff side of this body, there are 55 consequently incapable of doing anything, le official alone pushing nurses" needs. Gains can only be made in the present situation by by-passing the In fier, organisations Ike the RCN are present machinery through militant action, and iltimately organising a militant nurses? trad union on a democratic basis to replace th present aligarchies. But nurses are very afraid of authority. So far, self-styled militant leaders' like Sister Pat Veal. are isolated -from the rank and file. While admiring her courage in speaking wat one has to admit that her United Nurses Association exists on paper only. Sister Veal has also made dubious statements about
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tudents food prices. The police fire tear-gas bombs into a crowi of 1,500 students moving toward the office of the University MAY 22
student strike are called for in the interior cities of La Plata, Mendoza and Resistencia, In Cordoha, members of the powerful Metallurgical Workers Union, where the plants of Renault and repressive although it has maintained a called to mourn the death of students.
The minister of the interior declares thai disturbances are due to "professional agitators