Toronto solidarity events to commemorate victims of Argentina’s military dictatorship
TORONTO, March 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A series of events will be held in Toronto in coming days by civic organizations, universities, churches and trade unions, including the United Steelworkers union, to stand in solidarity with the people of Argentina on the 50th anniversary of the coup d’état that installed a brutal military dictatorship in the South American country.
On March 24, 1976, a military junta overthrew Argentina’s government, installing a regime that would see 30,000 Argentinians “disappeared” over a 7½-year period. Another 8,600 to 18,000 Argentinians were imprisoned without charge and an unknown number of newborn infants were kidnapped/stolen by the military.
From March 20 to 29, several events will be held in Toronto to commemorate the victims whose lives were cut short, the political prisoners who live with memories of torture and sexual abuse and the infants whose identities were stolen.
A highlight of the commemorative events will be presentations by Marcela Solsona Sintora, who was born in 1977 in a clandestine prison, after which her mother was disappeared. Marcela was one of hundreds of babies born in prisons and concentration camps who were stolen by the military and “given” to unrelated families.
In 2019, Marcela became the 129th grandchild of disappeared parents to be identified by the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo (Grandmothers of May Square), an Argentine human rights organization that has worked since 1977 to find and restore the identity of hundreds of children kidnapped by the military regime. To date, 140 such children have been located through the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo project.
Marcela Solsona Sintora will speak at two of the Toronto events – on March 24 at 6 p.m. at Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Avenue; and on March 27 at 7 p.m., at the Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil Street. She also will be available to speak to news media.
The Toronto events will provide participants with a greater understanding of what happened in Argentina 50 years ago, as well as how the government of Canada and Canadian citizens, religious groups and trade unions responded.
The commemorative events planned for Toronto are listed below. Please note that registration is required for some events. To register, go to: neveragain.crd.co.
March 20, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Toronto City Hall Rotunda
Photo installation: From Silence to Identity in Argentina: 50 Years of Memory, Truth and the Defense of Human Rights
March 24, 6:00 p.m.
Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Avenue
Film screening and discussion: Ariel: Back to Buenos Aires
Presentation by Marcela Solsona Sintora, “Granddaughter #129,” kidnapped at birth and recovered in 2019 by the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo
March 26, 6:00 p.m.
OISE, 252 Bloor Street West
Panel discussion: Authoritarianism and Democracy, 50 Years After the Military Coup D’État
March 27, 7:00 p.m.
Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil Street
Tango, Theatre and Memory: An Evening for the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo
March 29, 12 noon
Intersection of Eglinton Avenue and Dufferin Street
Palm Sunday Procession, in memory of the 30,000 disappeared
(Procession begins at Eglinton and Dufferin and proceeds to San Lorenzo Anglican Church, 2981 Dufferin Street)
* If you know of anyone from Argentina who has questions about their identity, we encourage them to come forward. We will be happy to answer any questions. All inquiries are handled in confidence. For more information contact, Linda Grobovsky, 416-768-6568, lgrobovsky@gmail.com.
To learn more about Argentina’s kidnapped grandchildren, click on the links below:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/09/books/review/a-flower-traveled-in-my-blood-haley-cohen-gilliland.html?searchResultPosition=2
https://www.npr.org/2025/07/20/nx-s1-5374095/argentinas-stolen-children-grapple-with-finding-their-place-in-history
Media contact: Linda Grobovsky, 416-768-6568, lgrobovsky@gmail.com
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