Organized efforts reap rewards
The presence of the police, who came out in force yesterday for the anniversary of the student uprising against the military dictatorship, seemed a lot more organized in comparison with the past. The policemen and riot squads patrolling the streets of the city were on alert and it was obvious that there was a clear plan of action from above and a good deal of discipline. No one can predict what will happen in early December, when authorities are expecting protests and demonstrations on the first anniversary of the shooting death of a schoolboy by a policeman, an incident that sparked widespread riots last year. It is impossible to know how such a potentially explosive situation may develop, especially regarding the likelihood of self-styled anarchists leading attacks against state property or the authorities. Still, yesterday’s police presence gives hope that the leadership of the Citizens’ Protection Ministry is showing a sense of professionalism and gravity that has been sadly lacking in recent years; and we are all only too familiar with the result of the amateurism of the past.
