PTS, through the pen of Guillo Pistonesi (1), has published a defensive, almost shameful article intended to explain what cannot be explained: that PTS has just ignored the most massive Plaza de Mayo conventration in decades, 50 years after the coup and against the government of Milei.

By Guillermo Pacagnini

PTS has probably rushed to publish this article for the internal consumption of their own base, which must deeply feel the isolation to which it has been subjected by the sectarian politics of its leadership. They have chosen to campaign for a boycott of this historic event. While thousands of workers, youth, women, families from the neighborhoods, political and social collectives, overflowed the Plaza and all the streets of downtown Buenos Aires, PTS preferred to hide and stew in the sauce of its own column, wait for the plaza to be empty and carry out, with the PO, its partner in this sectarian and opportunist adventure, a marginal act in the dark, with few people, to read a “very complete” document… which almost nobody listened to.

One thing is true, there was one Plaza and two positions: to promote and be part of it or to boycott and stay out of it.

The contrast between the historic massive event that we promoted, in unity, from the MST and the EMVJ with the Mesa de Organismos de Derechos Humanos and the marginal act of the PTS/PO, is more than evident, even more than last year, and no longer surprises any unsuspecting person.
It is not only a matter of considering the overwhelming evidence in terms of quantity and composition that does not stand any comparison. But lets address the different conceptions and positions: one aimed at politically working and contesting a massive act and the other was a sectarian position, it worked against it, trying to divide it (with little success by the way). At thee same time it was opportunist. It gave up and did not dispute with Peronism for a correct program and a united action front that did generate one of the most important mass mobilizations in decades, the main one against Milei and which channeled the democratic, anti-imperialist and fighting reserve of an entire people.

These two positions were tested in the previous debates and in the street, and the results are there for all to see. Undoubtedly, the sectarian/opportunist position suffered a resounding defeat on all grounds, even more than last year. Let’s see.

The unitary position was not only of the MST, but also of the Encuentro Memoria, Verdad y Justicia.

This time the Encuentro resolved by a categorical majority consensus of its bodies and organizations, to go out to build an act of unity in diversity, starting from the agreements reached last year, which made possible the first unitary act in almost 20 years in the face of the far-right in power. The divisive sector that was opposed to exploring unity, was gradually fading away and was reduced to PTS/PO and NMAS. This year there was no room for doubt and the confusionist maneuvers that stated that there would be “two acts” was limited to the realm of fantasy. They did not even agree even among themselves to make a common action. They ended up with some semi-clandestine talk that went completely unnoticed.
EMVJ marched with its column, identity and independence, with its historical banners and converged in Plaza de Mayo.

The document reflected the main historical and current grievances

The Encuentro carried out a strong and correct political dispute, proposing and materializing, with the Mesa de Organismos, a document that was superior to last year’s and very correct in its content, radicalized, with all the historical and current flags, with a strong anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist content. Reclaiming the struggle and the ideals of the disappeared detainees. Against the government of Milei, the bureaucracy, supporting the struggles and raising internationalist causes. It included the repudiation of the Peronist government prior to the coup, the triple A (Anti Communist Argentine Alliance), Operativo Independencia and the demand for the opening of all archives. The repudiation of the subsequent policies of impunity and the vindication of the conquests achieved with mobilization. The freedom of all prisoners, Julio Lopez, the anti-terrorist laws, the rejection of all Milei‘s policies, against the slave labor reform, the complicity of legislators and governors, support for Garrahan, Fate and all the struggles, the demand to the union conferderations for a general strike and a plan of struggle, the denunciation of the complicity with Milei of legislators and governors, the non-payment of the debt, Palestine, the demand for the judicial persecution of Bodart and Biasi, the freedom of all prisoners, against Trump and the imperialist aggression against Iran, Venezuela and Cuba. (2)

The PTS, in its fever to prove the unprovable, runs a magnifying glass over the document to find flats, without success. Come on, comrade Pistonesi. You have refused to discuss and dispute, with the classic political cowardice of sectarians, who prefer to declaim truths in the abstract, instead of fighting for a text that was not only correct but followed and applauded by thousands and thousands in the square.

Is it not a triumph that the whole square chanted against the IMF when the document called for not paying the debt and allocating that money to wages, health and education? Is it not a triumph that the whole square demands the nullity of the summary proceedings against Garrahan, that it takes its example of struggle, that claims for Fate? Is it not a triumph that the whole square demanded loudly and as a single fist the General Strike? Is it not a triumph that the square in a single shout demands for a free Palestine from the river to the sea?

Not casual omission of the PTS: all the struggles were protagonists of the event

Pistonesi in the midst of so much desperate verbiage to disqualify the unitary act, omits an sognificant fact. All the struggles of the moment were present on the stage. Bregman’s PTS does not say a single word about this. Not a word about the standing ovation of the whole square for Garrahan, for Fate, which was present even with Alejandro Crespo, leader of SUTNA (despite the fact that the PO boycotted the act) and where the comrades who are on the roof of the factory, unfurled a banner with the disappeared workers of the factory. Also the retirees who came up with their different expressions, University struggle, the disabled sector, the state workers, those who defend the glaciers and the socio-environmental rights, women and LGBT community, among others. And where the recovered granddaughters and grandchildren were vindicated. Was it or was it not a triumph, was it or was it not an independent policy, does it or does it not strengthen the ongoing fights? One more example of the propagandism of this current that privileges the abstract denunciation and reading a text for its militancy, rather than disputing so that the struggles are present and the multitude present vindicates and supports them.

On a serious note, how do you defeat Milei?

The PTS article concludes with a curious explanation of “how to defeat Milei”. It explains that 90% of the square is against Milei’s policies and that Peronism calls for an electoral front for 2027. And that all that strength of the 24th, should not end in that frustration….

But what it does not say is that Bregman ‘s party militated against all that energy being channeled against Milei by trying to convince people of refraining from participating in an offensive event, promoting the greatest unity of action in the mobilization to defeat the Rosada’s energizer. And what a disservice they did to Peronism, by not going out to dispute them, as we did from the MST and the EMVJ for the program and the policy of the act, which were fully expressed in the document, the slogans and the structure of this historic event.

The PTS preferred to declaim its abstract truths to a handful of militants, turning its back on the mass movement that found a rallying pole of unity to confront and be able to advance in defeating Milei. Sectarianism and opportunism, as always, two faces of the PTS (3). No scruples to march many times in an uncritical way with the PJ, especially in electoral times, or for their public figures like Bregman to take edited photos with the square they boycotted, erasing the stage of the unitary act. But it renounces to any dispute when it is necessary to be part of the mobilization and to the fight for the leadership of the processes.

At the end of the article, as in the other articles of 24M in LID, there is another oversight that, in short, exposes them completely. They only self-proclaim the PTS and boast about their columns. But not a word about the FIT-U. Once again, in the face of a tremendous mass event, they refused to allow the FIT-Unity to postulate itself as such. In that framework, all reference to the evils of Peronism and the bureaucracy, are a salute to the flag.

(1) The MST and a disorienting “unity”: What political orientation do we give to the force of March 24?
(2) 24M. Document read in the unitary march to Plaza de Mayo – Periodismo de Izquierda
(3) 24M. The PTS of Bregman and the PO, once again turn their backs on the construction of a unitary act – Periodismo de Izquierda