Milei honors San Martín, criticizes past policies

President Javier Milei led a central ceremony honoring General José de San Martín on the 176th anniversary of his passing, using the occasion to underscore his administration's focus on liberty and a departure from what he described as a detrimental past.

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Let us be free, and the rest matters not.

Speaking at the Monument to the Liberator in Retiro, Milei, accompanied by his cabinet and Buenos Aires Mayor Jorge Macri, highlighted San Martín's role in liberating Argentina from Spanish rule and securing its independence. He quoted San Martín's famous words, “Let us be free, and the rest matters not,” emphasizing that true liberty is both a natural right and a hard-won achievement.

Milei suggested that some of the freedoms achieved by San Martín have been eroded over time. He advocated for a cultural battle against those seeking to impose control and stressed the need for well-equipped armed forces and effective police. "Some choose the path of evil and must be subdued by force," he stated, underscoring a firm stance on security.

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The true measure of a liberator is not when he takes up arms but when he lays them down. San Martín died ignored by the people he had liberated. Freedom is a natural right but also a conquest.

Shifting to political commentary, Milei criticized those who advocate for a return to the past, arguing that while a minority benefited greatly, the majority of Argentines were impoverished under previous administrations. "But there is no past to return to," he declared, positioning his government as charting a new course.

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Some choose the path of evil and must be subdued by force.

Concluding his address, Milei called for adherence to the path laid out by Argentina's founding father. "Today we have freedom as a mandate. All our effort is to preserve San Martin's greatest legacy: a free homeland and a flourishing people. There is no better way to honor his memory than by becoming the best country we can be," he stated, ending with a fervent "Long live freedom, damn it!"

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Argentina can be the freest country in the world. It is an arduous path. Some want the past we lived in to return because although the majority became impoverished with the previous government, a minority benefited enormously.