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ARGENTINA

Valenzuela reported a Morón official for endorsing stone-throwing against Milei

La Libertad Avanza's candidate, Diego Valenzuela, filed a criminal complaint for incitement to violence

Amid the growing political tension between the ruling party and the opposition, an incident recorded in Morón sparked controversy and led to legal action.

The controversy erupted after the circulation of a video on social media in which the Kirchnerist coup supporter Silvana Santecchia, director of Participatory Budgeting for the Municipality of Morón, stated that physical attacks against President Javier Milei represent "a way of exercising democracy".

The audiovisual recording, which went viral in recent days, shows the official stating: "It's a way of exercising democracy. It's what residents can do. What do they do? They reject, they throw stones, they block roads. That is also a way of exercising democracy".

Twitter post by Diego Valenzuela reporting a criminal complaint against Silvana Santecchia, an official of the Municipality of Morón, for public incitement to collective violence, and criticizing the justification of throwing stones as a democratic expression, accompanied by an image of a legal document.
Message shared by Valenzuela on his official X account | La Derecha Diario

The statement prompted immediate criticism and opened a debate about the limits of social protest and the legitimacy of violence as a political mechanism.

The mayor of Tres de Febrero and candidate for first senator for La Libertad Avanza,  Diego Valenzuela, decided to take legal action against Santecchia. In a message posted on his official X account, he reported: "Criminal complaint against SILVANA SANTECCHIA, official of the MUNICIPALITY OF MORÓN, for the crime of public incitement to collective violence, as provided in Article 212 of the National Penal Code. It is unjustifiable for her to say that throwing stones is an expression of democracy".

The article mentioned by Valenzuela provides for imprisonment for those who publicly incite collective violence against institutions and/or authorities. The filing seeks for the judiciary to determine whether the official's statements constitute this crime and whether legal sanctions are appropriate.

The case takes place in a political context marked by intense rhetorical clashes and mutual accusations. Meanwhile, Milei keeps a program of deep economic and political reforms,  opposition sectors have expressed outright rejection and have attempted to overturn the fiscal program from Congress and carry out constant roadblocks and demonstrations where aggressiveness, violence, and crime are what really lie behind claims or noble causes.

A group of people on the street protect themselves as a rock flies over them under a clear sky.
"It's a way to exercise democracy. It's what the neighbors can do. What do they do? They reject, they throw stones." | La Derecha Diario

From the municipality of Morón, led by Mayor Lucas Ghi, no official statement has yet been issued regarding Santecchia's continuity in her position or the institution's stance on her statements. The controversy, however,  reinforces the tension between the local ruling party and opposition forces.

The complaint filed by Valenzuela seeks to establish a limit in political discourse regarding the legitimization of violence. The leader emphasized that it is unjustifiable to say that throwing stones is an expression of democracy, in an attempt to stress that the republican system must guarantee peaceful channels of expression and not tolerate physical aggression as a form of political participation.

The judiciary must determine whether Santecchia's statements constitute a criminal offense or merely a political opinion, although the impact has already shifted to the electoral debate and the clash between the ruling party and the opposition in Buenos Aires province.

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