Neighbors and agricultural producers in Mendoza will march to repudiate the delivery of 25,000 hectares to Mapuche communities

The delivery of land to self-proclaimed Mapuche communities carried out by the National Institute of Indian Affairs (INAI) en Mendoza generated the rejection of neighbors and agricultural producers in the province of Cuyo, who this Saturday will proceed to a mobilization to reverse the subsidies.

The purpose of the caravan is cancel the resolutions that the state agency initialed to favor communities that call themselves Mapuche, despite the fact that their pre-existence in conflict sites is not documented.

Since these measures became public, different actors, both in the private sector and in the political arena, have expressed their rejection of the land cession proposed by the national state.

You may be interested: Mendoza has complained to the government about the delivery of land to the Mapuches and is preparing to take the case to the Supreme Court

Mobilization will transit route 40 from the town of San Carlos to Malargüe, starting at 10 am. The demand is echoed in the south of the country, since neighbors affected by the usurpations of Villa Mascardi expressed their support for the initiative proposed by the businessman Andres Vavrik through social media.

The state intends to favor different groups that have aligned themselves in the Mapuche communities to obtain public lands and other benefits. “The Mapuches have never been to Mendoza, they are not from here and in addition they give them the jewels of the grandmother of Mendoza (Vaca Muerta), water resources and advance on private properties. From the municipality we intend to give a firm answer that we will defend it in all areas” published the promoter of the caravan.

The INAI has signed three resolutions by which it recognizes the pre-existence of the Mapuche peoples in strategic sites, due to the fact that there are currently oil platforms, agricultural enterprises and tourist developments. It covers more than 25,000 hectares between the area of ​​El Sosneado, in San Rafael, and Los Moles, in Malargüe.

The provincial president himself, Rodolfo Suarez, criticized the national government for the resolutions issued by the INAI. “Other private lands were ceded to the “Mapuches”, one at the entrance to Route 222 which takes us to Las Leñas, and another in front of the Laguna de la Niña Encantada. There are 4,477 hectares, where there is also oil activity,” complained the governor.

You may be interested: Conflict between Mendoza and the government grows over the transfer of land to the Mapuches: the province will take the case to the Supreme Court

He also said that “the national government is ceding, in addition to land, the economic assets of Mendoza.” “We, Mendoza, demand explanations from those responsible for this lack of institutionality. Without a doubt, we will go as a last resort to stop this outrage,” he added.

The objective is for this Saturday’s mobilization to be free of political factions and partisan opportunism. “We only want the Argentine flag to fly, the one that unites us with all Mendozas and good men,” the organizers said.

“The national government must back down and we also ask that, in the case of the province, it exhausts all the instances to appeal the three cases. Mendoza cannot allow this to stand firm because recognizing the right of a Mapuche to our territory, and in addition, is tantamount to recognizing lands for a Siux or a Comanche (the two indigenous tribes in the United States),” said the proponent in statements to provincial media.

Political references in the province – mainly from Ensemble pour lechange – pointed against the head of the INAI, Alexandre Marmonifor “giving public and private lands to those who are not even recognized as Mapuche”.

The agency, for its part, defended the deliveries by assuring that “they are Mapuche because they identify as that” and even ministry officials played down the administrative shortcomings of the groups that would benefit from them.

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