Yesterday morning the ex-president of Argentina, Néstor Kirchner, died of a heart attack. His wife, Cristina, is the current president of Argentina and he was widely favored to run for re-election for the next term. I didn't really realize how much of a popular figure he was until yesterday; the entire country seems to have entered into mourning. I went with the Peronist Youth Group of the School of Journalism to the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, where thousands of supporters gathered to show their grief and support for Cristina.
Not having a personal emotional connection to Kirchner, I was able to go as an observer, and I was amazed by what I observed. I can't really think of a similar figure in the U.S.; Bill Clinton is somewhat parallel but I can't really imagine this kind of outpouring of public emotion if he died. Perhaps it's the nature of Peronism; after all, the entire movement is named after Perón himself supporters seem to have an almost personal relationship with Perón and Evita, even though they died before many of the younger supporters were born. It's a very interesting phenomenon.
Here's a picture to give you an idea of the sheer amount of people that spontaneously gathered (excuse the poor quality):
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