Claudio Lepratti (February 27, 1966 – December 19, 2001) was an Argentine activist who works as a volunteer in a poor neighborhood of Rosario, Santa Fe province, who was killed by the police of the province while trying to protect the children of a school from stray bullets during the 2001 Riots. He is better known by his nicknames "Pocho Lepratti" and "The Angel of the Bicycle".
Events[]
During December 2001, Argentina went through one of its darkest moments, known as "The Crisis of 2001." The incidents began on December 18, when civilians tried to overthrow President Fernando de la Rúa. In response to the protests, the government deployed its forces throughout the country. The incidents ended on December 20. During those 3 days, the police killed 39 people.
Claudio Lepratti was a former Salesian, who at the end of the 90s decided to travel with his social group "Las Hormigas de Rosario" to a poor neighborhood in the city of Rosario in order to help the people who lived there. He worked as a teacher and cook for various schools and hostels.
On December 19, 2001, in the midst of the protests against the government, Lepratti was cooking in the neighborhood school when shots began to be heard coming from outside. He made the students of the school hide in the back of the building and went outside to see who was shooting at the school. He then saw the policeman Esteban Velázquez, who discharged his shotgun into the windows of the school. Lepratti yelled at him: "Put down your weapons, there are only children inside eating." At that moment, Velázquez shot Lepratti, killing him instantly.
Aftermath[]
His murderer, Esteban Velázquez, was sentenced to 14 years in prison, but was released in 2014, after serving only 5 years in prison, which caused anger in Argentine society.
Lepratti is well known and remembered in Argentina, as the most famous victim of the 2001 crisis. His face is repeatedly used in graffiti and artwork. Monuments and murals have been made in his honor in Rosario and Concepcion del Uruguay, where he was born. A street and several schools have also been named after him across the country. The most famous tribute to his name is the song "El Ángel de la Bicicleta" by León Gieco, being one of his best known and most successful songs.
The country's Catholic Church recognizes him as a role model and plans to open a canonization process in his name.