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Argentines rally against crime wave

Juan Carlos Blumberg, right, whose 23-year-old son Axel was kidnapped and murdered last month, addresses thousands of people at a rally in front of the National Congress demanding justice and security in Buenos Aires on Thursday. PHOTO: EPA

More than 100,000 people marched through Argentina's capital city on Thursday to protest crime, shouting "Justice! Justice!" in one of the country's largest demonstrations in years.

Argentines lit thousands of white candles outside Congress and held up photos of victims of the recent surge in ransom kidnappings, street holdups and robberies that has become an overriding concern in this South American nation of 36 million people.

Many left work early to join the protest, and thousands more turned out for smaller demonstrations in cities across Argentina.

Juan Carlos Blumberg, whose 23-year-old son, Axel, was killed last week after being seized by kidnappers demanding a ransom, led the large but peaceful protest.

His son's death drew front-page headlines in Argentina, where hundreds of people been victims of so-called "express" kidnappings, where hostages are held for only hours, but sometimes days or weeks. The kidnappings have also targeted business executives, the relatives of soccer stars and ordinary Argentines.

Blumberg kicked off the protest by leading a motorcade of cars that headed to Congress to demand harsher penalties for criminals. Police estimated the crowd at 130,000 in the capital, while thousands more marched nationwide.

"We have to reorganize the police," Blumberg said.

"The rotten apples have to go and the rest have to be trained and properly equipped and given a proper salary. Rapes, kidnappings, murders -- we have to put an end to it all,'' he said.

On the streets, many people honked their horns in support.

This Latin America capital, once considered one of the region's safest where an all-hours nightlife flourished for decades, saw crime escalate during a 2001-2002 economic crisis. Bank heists, street holdups and taxicab robberies have made headlines even though the economy has shown recent signs of recovery.

Last year, Argentine President Nestor Kirchner ordered more police on the streets and promised unspecified new crime-fighting steps.

But complaints of police inefficiency and corruption within the ranks have fueled a groundswell of popular support for tougher policing methods.

Asked about the protests, Kirchner said he sympathized with victims' families and would soon unveil new programs to fight crime: "It's terrible what has happened. The pain a father feels in these circumstances is just enormous."

His cabinet chief, Alberto Fernandez, called a news conference Thursday evening to declare that the president would back new efforts to reorganize police and track down the killers of Axel Blumberg.

"What we're really demanding today is justice," said Jorge Gutierrez as he held a lit candle Thursday.

Demonstrators demanded that immediate action be taken.

"The politicians and police have to do something about this, and now!" said Marcelo Trotta, 50.
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