50 Years On, Families Demand Justice for Deadly 1976 Argentine Police Bombing

Fifty years after the devastating bombing of the Argentine Federal Police (PFA) dining hall, families of the 23 victims and civil organizations gathered to mark the anniversary and demand justice. The attack, perpetrated by the Montoneros guerrilla group on July 2, 1976, remains one of the most significant acts of violence in Argentina's history.

The commemoration took place outside the PFA's Federal Agencies Superintendency, the very location where the bomb exploded. Under the banner "Enough Impunity, Complete History," attendees called for accountability and urged the judiciary to condemn those responsible for the bombing. A key demand was the removal of the name Rodolfo Walsh, whom they consider the "ideologue" of the attack, from a Line E subway station, and the removal of names of perpetrators from the Park of Memory.

Victoria Matienzo, whose brother Ernesto Matienzo was among the 23 killed at age 23, spoke passionately at the event. She reiterated the calls to remove Walsh's name from the subway station and to erase the names of "assassins" from the Park of Memory. Matienzo also demanded the removal of plaques at the PFA building entrance that commemorate victims from periods when the site served as a clandestine detention center, emphasizing the need for respect for the victims.

Emilio Hardoy, representing the Association of Lawyers for Justice and Concord, highlighted that the bombing remains an "aberrant crime that continues unpunished after half a century." He criticized the perceived lack of judicial will to prosecute those responsible for the attack, contrasting it with the swiftness with which individuals were pursued for opposing "subversion." The judicial investigation into the bombing was reopened in 2024, with former Montoneros leader Mario Firmenich summoned for questioning as the alleged responsible party, though he has yet to testify.

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Enough impunity, complete history