One year after the massacre of sixteen Argentine guerrillas in Trelew on 22 August, 1972, commemorative rallies and demonstrations were staged throughout the country. While the Peronists tried to use the occasion to rally support for the presidential candidacy of Juan Peron in the election scheduled for 23 September, other forces demanded that those responsible for the massacre be uncovered and punished.
Minister of the Interior Benito Llambi instructed the country's governors to authorise the memorial meetings, providing they were held in areas that could be tightly controlled.
Even before government authorisation was officially granted, however, a number of meetings were held. One, in Rosario, was attended by the three survivors of the massacre.
On the eve of the commemorations, the Peronist-led coalition, the Movimiento Nacional Justicialista (Justicialist National Movement), officially joined in with a statement rendering respectful and emotion-filled homage to all the Argentines who, whatever their beliefs or affiliation, paid with their blood for their faith in a better Argentina.' The Peronists, who have been seeking to isolate and put an end to guerrilla activity, attempted to balance the rallies by commemorating not only the Trelew massacre, but also the decision of Eva Peron in 1951 to give up the vice-presidency - a decision she had made on 22 August. 'Both dates, stated Rodolfo Puiggros of the University of Buenos Aires, explaining the institution's decision to declare 22 August a day of mourning, 'constitute some of the highest expressions of the will of the people to struggle, which is today directed FIGHTING FUND NEEDS BOOST The Red Weekly Fighting Fund is lagging slightly behind schedule so far this month: one-third of the way through the month and we have received £75 to wards our £300 target. We ended up over £70 short last month full weeks of publication this month, our readers will come across with the necessary support.