Solidarity with the Mapuche People
This October 10th, the CLACSO Working Group Epistemologies of the South Along with hundreds of other organizations, they sent a request for information to various Argentine government agencies, asking them to explain the reasons and objectives for the deployment of heavily armed federal forces in the Mascardi area, and to urgently resume dialogue to find solutions to this and other demands of the Mapuche people. They also informed Federal Judge Silvina Domínguez of Bariloche.
The area where the Lafken Winkul Mapu Mapuche community is located and its surroundings are occupied by an unusual deployment of federal forces, exceeding typical preventative measures. It was observed that there is an excessive number of police officers carrying firearms and using drones and helicopters.
The “unified command” of the four federal forces was promoted by the Ministry of Security supposedly to “prevent” acts of violence. In reality, this proposal appears to be based on cultural and ethnic stereotypes, as it is aimed exclusively at controlling and persecuting Mapuche communities.
This state security deployment is incompatible with the State's obligations to prevent and protect the right to physical and mental integrity of indigenous communities. It is also incompatible with its obligations of non-discrimination, which apply to all State authorities, particularly towards indigenous communities.
The Ministry of Security must explain the nature of these preventative measures, the rationale behind the presence of such a large number of heavily armed officers, and the purpose of the vehicle checkpoints. It must also explain whether the Ministry ordered any search operations and, if so, what their objective is.
This deployment is generating enormous concern because, in addition, various people from the Mapuche communities of Río Negro are pointing out the lack of dialogue with federal and provincial authorities to seek spaces for agreements on their historical demands.
In noteThe signatories request that conditions be created for a dialogue process. They urge the authorities to seek alternatives to the violent intervention implemented in the past week. In this regard, we request that a meeting be convened as soon as possible with human rights organizations and representatives of the Mapuche communities of Río Negro.
12th October 2022
CLACSO Working Group
Epistemologies of the South
This statement expresses the position of Working Group on Epistemologies of the South and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.
