In memory of Angel Perouch: comrade, friend, fighter

"The body remains on the ground, but the ideas remain standing" (Victor Hugo)

It is with great pain and shock that we have learned of the death of our beloved comrade Angel Perouch, leader of the Militant Communist Organization, Argentine section of the Revolutionary Communist International. Angel suffered a sudden heart attack on the night of December 5, and nothing could be done to save his life. His sudden death is all the more unjust as nothing could have predicted this fatal outcome and takes place when we most needed his passion and talent for the explosive revolutionary events that are to come, starting in Argentina.

The Argentine revolutionary movement, and not only the RCI, has lost a comrade of extraordinary worth, whose commitment and self-sacrifice to the cause of the oppressed were widely recognized by all those who shared his militant struggle, whether in the political, social or trade union sphere. From morning to night, day after day, all his attention and dedication were directed to the cause that guided him throughout his conscious life, the struggle for international socialism.

Angel was a bank worker, and a prominent union activist in his union, La Bancaria, until he retired less than a year ago. He welcomed his retirement as an act of liberation, not yearning for rest and empty leisure, but to further increase his militant commitment.

I met Ángel Perouch, together with his partner Verónica, in the spring of 2005 or early 2006, I don't remember exactly, at his house in Granadero Baigorria, near Rosario, his hometown. I visited them at their house, accompanied by a veteran militant from Rosario who had briefly joined our movement, who had enthusiastically recommended him to me as a very capable, active and well-known militant in Rosario.

They, and a group of militants from Buenos Aires and its metropolitan area, had just broken with a small group, the POR. This, in turn, had been formed years before as a result of the bureaucratic expulsion of more than a hundred militants from Jorge Altamira's Workers' Party (Partido Obrero). But Ángel's political activity could be traced back much further, when he was a teenage student before the military coup in 1976, in the UES (Union of Secondary Students), a student organization linked to revolutionary Peronism. Later, during the dictatorship, he came into contact and became involved with Política Obrera, a Trotskyist group that after the fall of the dictatorship would change its name to the Partido Obrero.

After weeks of discussions and debates, Ángel, Vero and a couple of their comrades decided to join the International Marxist Tendency (IMT), the predecessor of the RCI, in the spring of 2006. This was a great achievement, because our group was very small at the time, and limited to Buenos Aires, and many activists who approached us and shared our ideas and programme were reluctant to commit themselves when they saw such a modest apparatus as ours.

They joined because of the ideas and not by the attraction of an apparatus, which gave their political commitment a granite force that has been maintained until the end. We went through good times and bad times, in a situation of extraordinary ferment in Argentine society and an unprecedented level of activity and struggle. It was not easy to make headway in those circumstances, with dozens of revolutionary groups of all types and sizes, marked by sectarianism and the absence of united front policies, which was our main banner of agitation.

Angel had personality, he defended his ideas with conviction; he did not simply accept a proposal, an idea, one had to fight hard, he demanded to be convinced and he set out to convince. He was the first militant, he set the example (in dedicating time to the cause, in distributing political material, in obtaining economic resources, in carrying out the agreed work) and he inspired the others to follow him. This strength of character was essential to give cohesion to a small and isolated group, in difficult circumstances. However, it would not be fair not to mention here the role of his lifelong partner, Vero, who was not left behind in commitment, militancy, personality and dedication. In reality, both formed a team and encouraged each other, pushing the others with their determination.

For political reasons, I returned to Spain to continue my activity in the spring of 2013, and Angel, without any full-time workers in the organization, redoubled his commitment in the responsibility of coordinating and leading the group. His militant spirit did not waver for a moment. With considerable effort, they managed to buy a printing machine to publish the monthly newspaper, and even pamphlets and books.

After years of dedicated work, they managed to extend the organization to new areas, and today is present in Rosario, Greater Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Santiago del Estero and also in Misiones.

An internationalist to the core, Ángel participated in the meetings and debates of the International as part of its elected leadership and also supported the development of work in Chile.

After his retirement a few months ago, in this short period of time until his sudden death, he worked tirelessly alongside his comrades to relaunch the organization, which was renamed the Militant Communist Organization.

In the last 10 years, since I left Argentina, I saw him and Vero 2 or 3 times a year: at international RCI meetings and also in Argentina, where I usually travel every year for family reasons. So we never lost contact, the relationship and the affection we had for each other over the years.

It is far from my intention to paint a picture of a sober and Spartan Angel. Nothing could be further from the truth. Although he was so great, Angel the militant was not even half of the personality of Angel the man. Above all, Angel loved life and enjoying it. As a "bon-vivant", he enjoyed a good meal, travelling, and socialising with friends and comrades. Angel stood out for his vitality, his extraordinary common sense and also his sense of humour, and he shared with all Argentine workers an enormous generosity and personal kindness.

In these difficult times, we would like to send all our love and solidarity to Vero, to Ángel's son, León, to his sister Patricia, and to other relatives, and to all Argentine comrades.

We say goodbye, moved and saddened by the unjust and premature passing of our comrade, our friend Ángel Perouch. A tireless fighter from adolescence until his last breath, he will continue to encourage and motivate our revolutionary struggle through the memory of his militant example. We will never forget him!