On this day in 1978, the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) staged a massive kidnapping operation where they captured the National Palace and held more than 1,000 people hostage in exchange for money, the release of political prisoners, and the ability to publicize their cause.

In the 1970s, Nicaragua was rocked by political turmoil, with widespread riots and multiple anti-government general strikes occurring in 1978. A violent campaign to overthrow the government was also initiated by the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN). Despite these efforts, the leader of Nicaragua, Anastasio Somoza, remained in power.

On August 22nd, 1978, with just 26 members, the FSLN staged a massive kidnapping operation where they captured the National Palace.

Many of the participants were quite young - Columbian socialist author Gabriel García Márquez wrote that, excluding the experienced guerilla leader Éden Pastora, the average age of the group was twenty. Three were just eighteen years old.

Led by Pastora, the Sandinistan forces captured the Palace while the legislature was in session, taking more than 1,000 hostages. The rebels demanded money, the release of Sandinistan prisoners, and, "a means of publicizing the Sandinista cause."

After two days, the government agreed to pay $500,000 and to release certain prisoners, marking a major victory for the FSLN. Somoza was finally ousted by the FSLN in 1979.

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  • Parzivus [any]
    ·
    2 years ago

    We gotta ban twitter screenshots. Too much of this website is devoted to dunking on irrelevant fashy weirdos

    • President_Obama [they/them]
      ·
      2 years ago

      We gotta ban twitter screenshots. Too much of this website is devoted to dunking on irrelevant fashy weirdos

      • Parzivus [any]
        ·
        2 years ago

        I actually don't mind twitter but I also don't follow many political accounts on there. It's great for art and dumb jokes

    • Frank [he/him, he/him]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Too much of this website is devoted to dunking on irrelevant fashy weirdos

      This is where we came from. This is the root of who we are.

    • ssjmarx [he/him]
      ·
      2 years ago

      I would be into relegating them to weekends only or something, but a total ban might actually kill the site lmao.

    • Cromalin [she/her]
      ·
      2 years ago

      there should be at least one day a week where no twitter screenshots or discourse is permitted unless it's really funny, and you have to run it by a mod first

      • Huldra [they/them, it/its]
        ·
        2 years ago

        IIRC I think Genzedong or some other subreddit has a rule where you're only allowed to post dunk shit from twitter or other places on the weekend or one day of the weekend or something.

        Though personally I think its probably better to put it on a weekday so people will be wasting company time and not weekend time on being mad.

    • Rem [she/her]
      ·
      2 years ago

      What u don't like taking a post that only exists to be screenshotted and hated on, screenshotting it, and hating on it?

    • CyborgMarx [any, any]
      ·
      2 years ago

      I usually agree, but not today because I've posted several, but tomorrow I'll agree....again