The Buenos Aires Governor Axel Kicillof condemned tonight the violent police repression that led to the death of a Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata fanlast Thursday, as part of the match once morest Boca Juniors.
“What happened was something horrible, the police are there to protect, not to attack”Kicillof said in television statements.
“The police acted in the worst way and that leads us to talk regarding institutional violence, but I want to make it very clear that my government, our government, does not promote institutional violence, does not protect it, does not cover it up, does not hide it or tolerate it” added the governor.
“We have close to or more than three thousand sporting events in a year, and what happened here was very particularit is not what always happens neither with the police of the province of Buenos Aires nor in all the parties”, he explained.
“As soon as I found out what was happening, I contacted the ministers of Security, Justice and Health to coordinate the operation. There were eight internees, three with rubber bullets, one dead, and 30,000 people who went to a sports party and they were completely ruined, something tremendous. Immediately, we decided to remove the head of the operation from the Police, something that we communicated the next day but that we decided at the time“, he added.
“That person that we immediately kicked out, and that is why I say that we do not cover up or hide anything, is today detained”said regarding the former commissioner Juan Manuel Gorbaranwho was in charge of the operation and this Sunday refused to testify.
Kicillof also referred to the performance of the Buenos Aires Security Minister, Sergio Berni, whose continuity in office is questioned by figures from the opposition and from the Frente de Todos itselfand assured that the minister not only supported the decision to remove Juan Manuel Gorbarán from the force, but also “another officer (the deputy chief Alexander Morinigo) and who shot the cameraman of TyC Sports (the main Nahuel Falcon).
“(Berni) said that the police acted badly and indicated some possible changes, but it is the Justice that will decide the chain of command. Once that is determined, I will act as it should. For my part, I ask for the utmost severity. berni is not accused of any act of corruption or collectionHe works with a lot of dedication. He sleeps in the police station, he has the commitment,” said the governor.
Kicillof also did not rule out that the violent police action was a consequence of a possible intern within the Departmental of the city of La Platamentioning the recent changes within the force. “But it is the Justice that has to thoroughly investigate what triggered the repression and find out if this was a one-time event or if it is something that is going to tend to be repeated. I’m going to wait for the results,” she said.
On the actions of the Bonaerense and its background, Kicillof remarked that a transformation of the force is necessarybut assured that it is something “that cannot be solved immediately”.
“When I assume I don’t assume thinking I’m going to Disneyland or running a university. It is this reality and it is this police, which must be transformed. And when I say that it has to be transformed, it is because of the image it has. I am fighting to change things,” she said.
“But it is not something that can be solved magically, it is a job, it is not a matter of changing all the controls in two minutes and that’s it. This is not solved with a change of command, you have to set a course and sustain it“, complete.
Finally, the governor was critical regarding “the way the police act in profitable sporting events”.
“The club is the one who has to agree on the operation and pay for it. Then the number of assigned agents is determined, which are gathered from different police stations. A number is made but not a body that is prepared to carry out this task“, he explained.
“The idea is to create a special body that is in charge of the operations in sporting events, with a different remuneration for what they do, with clear leadership. This has to be more specialized and professionalized. Until now it has not been possible to do it because to separate people for this means retouching other sectors”, he argued.
Finally, and thinking regarding what the next football matches will be in Buenos Aires, he highlighted the prohibition of the use of tear gas in sports events, “because they are tragic here and in other parts of the world,” he said.
