What are the greatest triumphs of HIJOS in Guatemala?
A symbolic triumph is our four-year struggle to stop the military parade that takes place every year. We began to organize strong mobilizations every June 30. The first year we began by demonstrating at the military base; the second year they paraded in a public park and we infiltrated and protested it. Last year we stopped the military parade. And this is how it took place. It was announced that there was going to be a military parade. We managed to create a huge debate with our campaign, and for more than a month many wrote newspaper articles in favor and against it. We created a dialogue over this issue. This year, the military did not come out. The goverment announced that the parade would not take place but not because of pressure from the movement. To provide you with some background information, this date [June 30] comes from 1871, the date of the victory of the Liberal Revolution. It is celebrated as when the military was born as an instrument of the wealthy and powerful. What
