Republican Union (Argentina)

Republican Union (UR), is a far-right, neo-fascist   internal current of the Argentine political party Republican Proposal. It was described as the most right-wing faction of the PRO and Juntos por el Cambio. It is also known for its youth, called Young Republicans. Although they are part of the PRO, they support the government of La Libertad Avanza.

History
In 2020 several members of the far-right wing of Propuesta Republicana launched an internal faction and group within the party called Unión Republicana through a Zoom virtual meeting. Patricia Bullrich, its main figure, aimed to create a space with a liberal imprint that strongly opposes statism, socialism, and the Kirchnerist government. They also introduced the youth wing, Jóvenes Republicanos.

During the pandemic months, JR and UR mobilized, expanding their follower base to over 100,000 across all social media platforms. They established training courses that presented revisionist views of Argentine history and economics, critical of state intervention and aligned with ideas similar to those of the Chicago school of economics, rooted in liberalism. The organization opposes President Alberto Fernández's government, who has criticized the group on Twitter alongside then Chief of Cabinet Santiago Cafiero. This occurred when the group placed mock body bags at Plaza de Mayo, bearing names of political figures opposed to the Macri administration, including those of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo. The movement mirrors the American Trumpian current, even using the slogan "Make Argentina great again" on their website, led by Ulises Chaparro, a self-proclaimed Trump supporter. Weeks later, they staged protests at various government officials' residences, including Sergio Massa, Agustín Rossi, and Cristina Fernández, alleging these actions were carried out with police complicity in Buenos Aires.

In 2021 Francisco Sánchez, a deputy from the PRO party and leader of the group, called for the death penalty against Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, arguing that a house arrest sentence for 12 years of consecutive theft would be a minimal punishment. This controversy escalated further when on 1 September 2022, Sabag Montiel, an ultraright militant with neo-Nazi tattoos, who had participated in protests organized by UR and JR, attempted to assassinate the Vice President of the nation.

Currently the group is considering becoming a political party, as they clarify on their Twitter page.

Ideology
The group is described by political scientists and historians as far-right, neo-fascist,    and crypto-fascist. This is due to several factors, such as their endorsement of the ideas of José Antonio Primo de Rivera and Isabel Perón, as well as sympathies towards neo-Nazis personalities, fascist parties, and various Latin American dictatorships. Additionally, they exhibit extreme conservatism, even expressing willingness to physically eliminate members of the homosexual community. The group also displays racist characteristics akin to identitarian and white supremacist movements. Some have drawn parallels between Unión Republicana and other fascist groups like Proud Boys or CasaPound, and also with Argentinian neo-nazi groups like Revolución Federal.

In turn she is described as right-wing populist, right-wing libertarian, reactionary nationalist, ultra-conservative and ultra-neoliberal.