GONZALO LIRA
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Posted by Jack Heslin on 09:17:46 01/06/25
A man of uncommon courage.
As we watch the winding down of the horrible Ukraine / NATO / Russia conflict I am reminded of some who had the courage to speak truth to power. One of those was Gonzalo Lira who often appeared on THE DURAN and always had an interesting and insightful perspective on the conflict. Through the THEDURAN, we were able to follow the plight of Gonzalo as he was a witness to the unfolding events of February 2022 first from a hotel room in Kiev and later from his home in Kharkiv. Because he was on the ground he was able to provide insights that others did not have. In the early days, I believe he had a family with him but I believe they relocated at some point.
The words of Gonzalo stung many people in power especially in Ukraine and in the Western Capitals who were supporting the Ukraine effort with money and weapons. He was seen by some as a Russian supporter and propagandist, and he was arrested for speaking out and publishing his opinions on the conflict.
As a person with both Chilean and American citizenship, Gonzalo was certainly a complex man with many interests and a longtime presence on the internet. Watching and listening to him as he chain smoked his way through interviews with THE DURAN it was clear to all of us he did not seem to fear the consequences of being a truth warrior. Evil people, in powerful positions, were also watching and they knew he was speaking the truth. Freedom of speech is a gift some of us have but not all have.
In America, Elon Musk was aware of the assault on the freedom of speech and had the courage and the resources to act through his very risky purchase of Twitter. That single act of courage by Musk along with the changes he made to that platform had an enormous impact on the direction of American politics and by extension the politics of the world. Gonzalo did not have the power of an Elon Musk but he showed all of us what courage looks like. He shamed the media of the West who have been lying to the world for years about the condition of the American President and the truth of the origins of the Ukraine conflict and the truth of how it was being fought.
I hope that THE DURAN community never forgets the courage of Gonzalo and that all of us remember that evil must be confronted wherever it is manifested. In the end, evil people were able to silence the voice of Gonzalo Lira but they can never erase his words from the hearts and minds of those of us who knew him.
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