The opening of ordinary sessions of the Deliberative Council of San Carlos de Bariloche ended in a scandal with physical attacks, threats and a woman fainted after receiving a blow during the event led by the mayor Walter Cortes.
The event was held at the Municipal Gymnasium No. 5, where Cortés presented an extensive management report. In his speech he reviewed works in progress and central issues on the local agenda, such as the definition of urban parameters for the Cathedral Hillthe situation of the municipal landfill and the reform of the Organic Charter planned for this year.
However, the day was abruptly interrupted when an attack occurred in the middle of the audience. According to the complaints, a driver linked to the mayor — identified as a member of the Commerce union — punched a woman who was demonstrating against the changes planned for Cerro Catedral. The neighbor fell to the ground and had to be assisted after fainting.
The episode generated immediate political repercussions. The Ombudsman initiated an ex officio investigation to clarify the facts and determine responsibilities, while requesting concrete actions against the episodes of violence recorded during the ceremony.
For her part, the councilor Juliet Wallace He publicly repudiated what happened and demanded guarantees so that institutional instances could be carried out without intimidation or attacks. “We cannot naturalize violence in a democratic environment,” they pointed out from their surroundings.
The scandal exposed the climate of tension that Bariloche is going through regarding the regulation of Cerro Catedral, an issue that divides waters between business sectors, workers and neighbors who question the environmental and urban impact of the modifications under debate.
What should have been the formal act to begin the legislative period ended up becoming a new focus of political and institutional conflict in the Rio Negro city.
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