The president of La Libertad Avanza in Punta Indio vindicated the Green Falcons: "You opened the trunk and it still smelled of justice."

With a controversial statement, a leader of La Libertad Avanza (LLA) defended the green Falcons, the vehicles used by task forces to kidnap people during the last military dictatorship. "You opened the trunk and it still smelled of justice," said Jorge Cabrera, a national leader in Punta Indio for the party founded by Javier Milei.

The phrase, which initially generated rejection in the local community and later spread due to its impact on social media , appeared on a radio program broadcast on FM del Sur 103 in that district of the province of Buenos Aires.

"In 1963, the first domestically produced Ford Falcon was sold in Argentina, an iconic vehicle if there ever was one in Argentina," he said , mentioning the July 16th anniversary. In that context, he recalled that his family owned one of those cars.

“I was fortunate that my dad had a Ford Falcon his whole life, and there was still one in my family, the olive green one that came from the factory... and you opened the trunk and it still smelled of justice ,” he said.

The comment did not generate any objection from the rest of the table that accompanied him on the broadcast of La Libertad Avanza Punta Indio , which airs every Tuesday on the radio station.

"My dad had one, one with a vinyl roof," commented one participant. " I had one at my house ," added another.

The statements made by Cabrera, a retired non-commissioned officer in the Argentine Navy , immediately sparked outrage, and protests followed. One of the first questions heard was from Mayor David Angueira , who made clear his "total condemnation."

TOTAL REPUDIATIONDemocracy is built every day, with respect, memory and responsibility.

Today more than ever, as we see expressions of hate and violence becoming naturalized, we need to draw a clear line: not everything is acceptable. pic.twitter.com/dsaQQzciu4

— David Angueira (@angueira_d29226) July 17, 2025

"Democracy is built every day, with respect, with memory and with responsibility. Today more than ever, when we see how expressions full of hate and violence are naturalized , we have to set a clear limit: not everything goes," he wrote on his X account, where he shared a statement from the PJ of Punta Indio written in the same vein.

The issue escalated further and reached the Provincial Memory Commission (CPM), which filed a criminal complaint against "retired Argentine Navy non-commissioned officer and president of La Libertad Avanza of Punta Indio, Jorge Pablo Cabrera, for condoning crime due to his statements celebrating kidnappings and disappearances during state terrorism."

"The glorification of these crimes is a provocation that harms the victims and offends the basic principles of democratic coexistence, and a clear violation of current laws," the human rights organization stated.

Along the same lines, they emphasized that Tuesday's incident was not the first time the LLA leader "has made statements claiming crimes against humanity committed within the framework of state terrorism."

"A few weeks ago, on the June 24 broadcast of this same radio program, Cabrera had made an almost identical comment: 'A green '76 Falcon... You open the trunk of this one and it still smells of justice . It's a beauty,' they recalled.

Faced with "the national impact the statement generated," Cabrera attempted to downplay the situation and published a statement on his Facebook page addressed "to society with a commitment to truth, respect, and transparency," in which he stated that the statements were taken out of context and then "used politically."

“I uttered an unfortunate and inappropriate statement , for which I wish to publicly apologize. I acknowledge the error, I regret it , and I deeply regret the impact it may have had on many people. It was not my intention to offend, hurt, or trivialize painful events in our history. I take full responsibility for my remarks,” he wrote.

In that vein, he reiterated that it was an “ individual outburst and does not represent the work team, nor the political space, much less the neighbors who make up La Libertad Avanza Punta Indio” which, he emphasized, has “ Ms. Sandra Cano as the only coordinator of the district.”

"Unfortunately, the incident was taken out of context and used for political purposes, in a clear attempt to discredit me personally and attack our organization, which is now consolidating as a strong alternative in the district," he added, emphasizing that, in his 37 years as a member of the Navy, he had "an impeccable service record, with no sanctions or violations."