Thousands of people [1] gathered at Parque Lezama in Buenos Aires on Saturday to demand the release of former President Cristina Kirchner [2].

The rally, known as a "banderazo," marks one year since the former president's detention [3]. It serves as both a public protest against her imprisonment and a flashpoint for internal conflicts within the Peronist movement.

Senator Máximo Kirchner delivered the sole speech during the event in the San Telmo neighborhood [4]. He used the platform to target internal factions of the party, specifically criticizing those who call for unity while remaining distant from the former president. "They ask for unity and they are not capable of going to see her," Máximo Kirchner said [5].

Reports differed on whether the crowd heard directly from the former president. Some sources indicated that a recorded message from Cristina Kirchner was expected to be broadcast [6], while other reports stated that no such message was delivered [7].

The mobilization occurred amid a backdrop of ongoing judicial tension. The event was intended to signal strength to the judiciary and the current administration, though some planned marches to the former president's home were suspended [8].

The demonstration highlights the enduring influence of the Kirchner family over their base, even while the former president remains in custody. The tension between the loyalist wing and other Peronist leaders suggests a deepening divide over how to handle the judicial challenges facing the party's former leader [9].

“"They ask for unity and they are not capable of going to see her,"”

This mobilization underscores a strategic shift by the Kirchner faction to weaponize the former president's detention to purge or sideline 'moderate' Peronists. By framing the detention as a political crime and demanding absolute loyalty, Máximo Kirchner is attempting to consolidate the party's base around a narrative of persecution, effectively forcing other Peronist leaders to either publicly align with the Kirchners or risk being labeled as traitors to the movement.