1983 Uruguayan pro-democracy demonstration

Acto del Obelisco
Obelisk of Montevideo
Native name Acto del Obelisco
English nameObelisk Act
DateNovember 27, 1983; 40 years ago (1983-11-27)
LocationObelisk of Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay

The 1983 Uruguayan pro-democracy demonstration, known as Acto del Obelisco (Spanish for 'Obelisk Act') was a massive demonstration held at the Obelisk of the Constituents, Montevideo, Uruguay, on November 27, 1983. The objective of the act was to demand the end of the civil-military dictatorship and the holding of democratic elections.[1] At the event, the only speaker, actor Alberto Candeau, read the proclamation, in which he called for a democratic transition.[2]

The demonstration was organized by an alliance built between the three political parties that had been legalized for the primary elections the previous year, an instance that marked progress in the democratic opening.[3] The parties came together under the banner of "For a democratic Uruguay without exclusions", and it is estimated that around 400,000 protesters participated, making it the largest demonstration in the history of the country.[4] Due to a famous aerial photograph of the tree-lined Luis Morquio Avenue filled with protesters in what looked like a river, the event was given the name Río de Libertad (Spanish for 'River of Freedom').[5] Although it took place in the capital Montevideo, similar events were held in different cities of the country, also attracting a large number of people.[6]

  1. ^ Redacción. "Políticos de varios partidos conmemoraron 40 años de Un río de libertad en el Obelisco". El Observador. Archived from the original on 2023-11-27. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  2. ^ Redacción. "Leé un adelanto del libro "Un río de Libertad", a 40 años del acto del Obelisco". El Observador. Archived from the original on 2023-11-27. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  3. ^ Busquets, José Miguel; Delbono, Andrea (2016). La dictadura cívico-militar en Uruguay (1973-1985): aproximación a su periodización y caracterización a la luz de algunas teorizaciones sobre el autoritarismo (in Spanish). Montevideo: Revista de la Facultad de Derecho. p. 87. ISSN 0797-8316.
  4. ^ "Donarán cartel del acto del Obelisco". Montevideo Portal (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-03-09. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  5. ^ ""Un Río de Libertad": Pepe Plá volvió a la azotea desde donde tomó la icónica foto hace 40 años". subrayado.com.uy (in Spanish). 2023-11-27. Archived from the original on 2023-11-28. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  6. ^ "Se va a acabar: hoy se cumplen 30 años del acto del Obelisco contra la dictadura". la diaria (in Spanish). 2013-11-27. Archived from the original on 2022-05-27. Retrieved 2023-12-01.