Uruguay protests against the forgetfulness of Mujica

The authors of a massacre in 1994 against those supporting Basque exiles remain not just at large but with power to commit again any such massacre or worse. Hundreds demonstrated in Montevideo against such impunity, demanding justice and memory.

Roberto Facal and Fernando Morrone were the victims of a massacre executed by police in 1994 to break the resistance of some 4000 Uruguayans against the extradition of Basque exiles, who were in hunger strike at Hospital Filtro. At least 500 police officers took part in the attack, using nothing but live fire. 

Not just demonstrators were killed or injured but also nurses like Esteban Massa who was shot in the back while he aided another victim. 

The murderous repression continued mercilessly in union offices and through the neighboring streets. It was then when the two mortal victims were shot. 

It was a bourgeois elected government which assumed all responsibility with no shame nor remorse. Minister of Interior Gianola was backed by the government in full, nobody resigned, nobody was ever prosecuted. 

Every year in the anniversary of the massacre people march through Montevideo demanding justice and memory. The Frente Amplio ignores the issue and one of its leaders even said it was a massacre "to forget". 

Forget? Never! Forgive? Never! The culprits must pay or something of the like will happen again. 

Source: Borroka Garaia Da![es]

[Was false news] Uruguayan President rejected from international act after being confused with "commoner"

Correction: this news was false. My apologies for the error.

Webguerrillero published today a formal correction: the whole news was accidentally taken from a humor site and they did not notice. Ironically many "serious" media through the world took it as real.

President Mujica at home

The President of Uruguay José "Pepe" Mujica was impeded to attend the inauguration of his Paraguayan colleague Horacio Cartes, after security confused him with a "commoner". 

For some reason Mr. Mujica, who lives a very simple life, without any luxuries whatsoever, arrived late to the inauguration, after the rest of the Uruguayan delegation had already entered the event. Security personnel were not able to recognize him and did not let him enter. 

Luckily the Chancellor arrived then with his credentials and he was allowed in.

Afterwards excuses were issued:

We knew well who was Mujica and that he was very austere... What we did not know was that he was so extremely so. Please put yourselves in our skin, seeing that a plain commoner wanted to enter in a place with so many important people, without accreditation and alone rang all alarms and forced us to impede him access.

You get it, right? There are two kinds of people: oligarchs and commoners, and among all Presidents on Earth, only Mujica (and surely Evo) is like us, commoners.

Source: Webguerrillero[es].

Uruguay: legalizing marijuana

The lower house of the Parliament of the Oriental Republic of the Uruguay approved yesterday a bill that legalizes and regularizes the production and commercialization of marijuana. The ruling Wide Front (left) supported the bill without fissures, while the right-wing opposition voted against. 

Under the new law the production and commercialization of cannabis will be under supervision of a state organism, which will issues licenses and voluntary registry of consumers, who will be entitled to purchase up to 40 grams per month. 

Previously consumption was legally tolerated but production and trade were not regulated, much as it happens in many states of Europe. This allows mafias to operate outside legality with no guarantees for consumers and no taxation for the state. 

Personally I think that the law is still too restrictive and that cannabis should be subject to similar legislation as alcohol and tobacco. Also caffeine should be included in this category of socially tolerated drugs and not sold as mere "harmless" food, being clearly an addictive drug (something that can't be said of marijuana, whose addictiveness is at best very weak, nearing zero). 

I am particularly concerned by the creation of  such "consumer registry", which is a clear violation of privacy and is potentially stigmatizing.

Source: Webguerrillero[es].