Today, around noon, while a press conference was being held at Police Station No. 12 with the presence of the provincial security minister and the chief of police of Río Negro, a police van and a 4x4 vehicle appeared in front of a house in the locality. For a month, its inhabitants have been the subject of intimidation by the police forces.
The intimidation towards the community began on February 6, when several motorcycles marked their house from the road. This situation adds to a historic conflict in the region concerning the eviction of the lof quemquemtrew, where more than 150 heavily armed police officers carried out the action.
According to statements from those affected, they feel threatened by the constant presence of police officers and nationalist groups linked to business interests in the area. The community, located 90 kilometers from Bariloche, has been fighting for the recovery of lands that have been the subject of legal disputes with a local forestry businessman.
In a public statement, they hold various political actors and the police of Río Negro responsible for any incident that jeopardizes their integrity. They also assert their right to carry out a peaceful and violence-free territorial recovery process.
On their part, local authorities have been questioned for their alleged complicity with the interests of certain economic sectors to the detriment of the Mapuche community. Furthermore, the filing of precautionary measures to protect the ceremonial space of the lof and guarantee the exercise of traditional healing practices by a local machi has been emphasized.
The situation in the Cuesta del Ternero region has generated concern in various sectors of society, which have expressed their solidarity with the affected community. From the Network of Support for Lof Quemquemtrew, a call to action has been made to denounce these acts of intimidation and demand respect for the territorial and cultural rights of the indigenous population.
