Verity Bowman, The Telegraph•June 16, 2020
Albuquerque police detain members of the New Mexico Civil Guard, an armed civilian group, following the shooting - The Albuquerque Journal
A man was shot and wounded in the US state of New Mexico after protesters attempting to pull down a statue of a 16th-Century Spanish colonist were confronted by a group of armed men seeking to protect it.
According to local reports, violence erupted in Old Town Albuquerque following a peaceful protest to remove the controversial sculpture, a monument that features conquistador Juan de Oñate.
Monuments linked to colonialism have come under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks amid Black Lives Matter protests around the world.
A number of statues have been pulled down in the US in the wake of African-American George Floyd’s death at the hands of white police officers in Minnesota.
Many protests have been peaceful, but the removal of statues has often faced fierce rebuttal.
Demonstrators climb the statue of Don Juan de Onate in Old Town in Albuquerque - The Albuquerque Journal
In Albuquerque, clashes broke out when protesters took a pick axe to the statue and members of the heavily armed New Mexico Civil Guard, a civilian group, tried to protect the monument.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that a man was pushed to the ground before shooting five rounds at advancing protesters. The man who was shot appears to have been one of the individuals advancing on the man on the ground.
People could be seen sprinting to take cover after the shooter opened fire. Albuquerque Police Department’s Emergency Response Team was deployed following the shooting.
The man was taken to hospital but his current condition is not known.
A confrontation erupted between protesters and a group of armed men who were trying to protect a statue of a Spanish conquerer - The Albuquerque Journal
Mayor Tim Keller tweeted that the city would be “removing the statue until the appropriate civic institutions can determine next steps”.
“The shooting tonight was a tragic, outrageous and unacceptable act of violence and it has no place in our city,” he added in a statement.
“Our diverse community will not be deterred by acts meant to divide or silence us. Our hearts go out to the victim, his family and witnesses whose lives were needlessly threatened tonight.”
George Floyd protests: Man shot in clash over Albuquerque statue
BBC•June 16, 2020
A man was shot and wounded in the US state of New Mexico after protesters attempting to pull down a statue of a 16th-Century Spanish colonist were confronted by a group of armed men seeking to protect it.
According to local reports, violence erupted in Old Town Albuquerque following a peaceful protest to remove the controversial sculpture, a monument that features conquistador Juan de Oñate.
Monuments linked to colonialism have come under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks amid Black Lives Matter protests around the world.
A number of statues have been pulled down in the US in the wake of African-American George Floyd’s death at the hands of white police officers in Minnesota.
Many protests have been peaceful, but the removal of statues has often faced fierce rebuttal.
In Albuquerque, clashes broke out when protesters took a pick axe to the statue and members of the heavily armed New Mexico Civil Guard, a civilian group, tried to protect the monument.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that a man was pushed to the ground before shooting five rounds at advancing protesters. The man who was shot appears to have been one of the individuals advancing on the man on the ground.
People could be seen sprinting to take cover after the shooter opened fire. Albuquerque Police Department’s Emergency Response Team was deployed following the shooting.
The man was taken to hospital but his current condition is not known.
Mayor Tim Keller tweeted that the city would be “removing the statue until the appropriate civic institutions can determine next steps”.
“The shooting tonight was a tragic, outrageous and unacceptable act of violence and it has no place in our city,” he added in a statement.
“Our diverse community will not be deterred by acts meant to divide or silence us. Our hearts go out to the victim, his family and witnesses whose lives were needlessly threatened tonight.”
George Floyd protests: Man shot in clash over Albuquerque statue
BBC•June 16, 2020
The man was shot after vigilantes and protesters clashed
A man has been shot and wounded in the US state of New Mexico after violence erupted over a statue of a 16th-Century Spanish colonist.
It happened when a second man opened fire after being turned upon by protesters outside Albuquerque Museum, local reports say.
The protesters had been confronted by a group of armed men as they tried to pull the statue down.
It comes amid heightened sensitivities over monuments linked to colonialism.
A number have been pulled down in the US and other countries in the wake of the death in police custody of George Floyd last month.
The stories behind the statues targeted in protests
Why US protests are so powerful this time
The unarmed African American's killing by a white police officer who knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has spurred global protests led by the Black Lives Matter movement.
Stun grenades
According to the Albuquerque Journal, clashes broke out when protesters took a pick-axe to the statue of Juan de Oñate - part of a monument depicting Oñate leading settlers into what was then a province of New Spain - after a peaceful demonstration on Monday night.
The paper says a man was pushed to the ground and started shooting when protesters moved towards him, "some threatening him".
It says the person who was shot appeared to have been one of those attempting to get to the man. The shooting sent people running for cover.
Albuquerque police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said officers at the scene fired tear gas and stun grenades as they detained a number of people.
Police later said in a statement that one man arrested in connection with the shooting, 31-year-old Stephen Ray Baca, had been detained on suspicion of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
The wounded man was taken to hospital and was later said to be in a critical but stable condition.
Mr Baca is a former candidate for the Albuquerque City Council and the son of a former Bernalillo County sheriff, according to the Associated Press news agency.
According to the Albuquerque Journal, he ran for office in 2019 on the platform that local officials were "complete wimps when it comes to fighting crime".
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller described the shooting as "a tragic, outrageous and unacceptable act of violence", adding that the sculpture had become an "urgent matter of public safety".
"In order to contain the public safety risk, the City will be removing the statue until the appropriate civic institutions can determine next steps," the mayor also tweeted.
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said that all those involved in violence would be investigated and held accountable "to the fullest extent of the law".
In recent days, statues of Confederate leaders - from the slaveholding southern states that fought in the American Civil War of 1861-65 - and the explorer Christopher Columbus have been torn down in the US, as pressure grows on authorities to remove controversial monuments.
Oñate led a group of Spanish settlers - historically known as conquistadors - in 1598. He became the local governor and is known for the massacre of a pueblo - or Native American - tribe.
Protester shot while trying to pull down statue honoring mass murderer
Christopher Wilson Senior Writer, Yahoo News•June 16, 2020
A protester was shot in New Mexico Monday night, in what police say is the latest incident of violence from groups counterprotesting civil rights demonstrations.
The issue was a statue of 16th century Spanish conquistador Juan de Oñate, which stands outside a museum in Old Town Albuquerque. Protesters attempting to remove the statue clashed with armed counterprotesters, including members of a militia group calling itself the New Mexico Civil Guard. After the confrontation escalated, a man identified by police as Stephen Ray Baca allegedly fired shots into a crowd.
Police said the man who was shot was in critical but stable condition.
Baca was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He is the son of a former Bernalillo County sheriff and ran for city council last year. During his campaign, Baca said that the community was turning into a “third world country” and said local elected officials were acting like “complete wimps when it comes to fighting crime.” Video from earlier in the protest shows Baca throwing a woman to the ground.
Armed members of the New Mexico Civil Guard have been attending Black Lives Matter protests since the beginning of the month. They were also present at protests against social-distancing guidelines in April. While Baca’s association with the group is unclear, video shows them surrounding him to protect him after he fired the shots.
A man has been shot and wounded in the US state of New Mexico after violence erupted over a statue of a 16th-Century Spanish colonist.
It happened when a second man opened fire after being turned upon by protesters outside Albuquerque Museum, local reports say.
The protesters had been confronted by a group of armed men as they tried to pull the statue down.
It comes amid heightened sensitivities over monuments linked to colonialism.
A number have been pulled down in the US and other countries in the wake of the death in police custody of George Floyd last month.
The stories behind the statues targeted in protests
Why US protests are so powerful this time
The unarmed African American's killing by a white police officer who knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has spurred global protests led by the Black Lives Matter movement.
Stun grenades
According to the Albuquerque Journal, clashes broke out when protesters took a pick-axe to the statue of Juan de Oñate - part of a monument depicting Oñate leading settlers into what was then a province of New Spain - after a peaceful demonstration on Monday night.
The paper says a man was pushed to the ground and started shooting when protesters moved towards him, "some threatening him".
It says the person who was shot appeared to have been one of those attempting to get to the man. The shooting sent people running for cover.
Albuquerque police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said officers at the scene fired tear gas and stun grenades as they detained a number of people.
Police later said in a statement that one man arrested in connection with the shooting, 31-year-old Stephen Ray Baca, had been detained on suspicion of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
The wounded man was taken to hospital and was later said to be in a critical but stable condition.
Mr Baca is a former candidate for the Albuquerque City Council and the son of a former Bernalillo County sheriff, according to the Associated Press news agency.
According to the Albuquerque Journal, he ran for office in 2019 on the platform that local officials were "complete wimps when it comes to fighting crime".
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller described the shooting as "a tragic, outrageous and unacceptable act of violence", adding that the sculpture had become an "urgent matter of public safety".
"In order to contain the public safety risk, the City will be removing the statue until the appropriate civic institutions can determine next steps," the mayor also tweeted.
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said that all those involved in violence would be investigated and held accountable "to the fullest extent of the law".
In recent days, statues of Confederate leaders - from the slaveholding southern states that fought in the American Civil War of 1861-65 - and the explorer Christopher Columbus have been torn down in the US, as pressure grows on authorities to remove controversial monuments.
Oñate led a group of Spanish settlers - historically known as conquistadors - in 1598. He became the local governor and is known for the massacre of a pueblo - or Native American - tribe.
Protester shot while trying to pull down statue honoring mass murderer
Christopher Wilson Senior Writer, Yahoo News•June 16, 2020
A protester was shot in New Mexico Monday night, in what police say is the latest incident of violence from groups counterprotesting civil rights demonstrations.
The issue was a statue of 16th century Spanish conquistador Juan de Oñate, which stands outside a museum in Old Town Albuquerque. Protesters attempting to remove the statue clashed with armed counterprotesters, including members of a militia group calling itself the New Mexico Civil Guard. After the confrontation escalated, a man identified by police as Stephen Ray Baca allegedly fired shots into a crowd.
Police said the man who was shot was in critical but stable condition.
Baca was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He is the son of a former Bernalillo County sheriff and ran for city council last year. During his campaign, Baca said that the community was turning into a “third world country” and said local elected officials were acting like “complete wimps when it comes to fighting crime.” Video from earlier in the protest shows Baca throwing a woman to the ground.
Armed members of the New Mexico Civil Guard have been attending Black Lives Matter protests since the beginning of the month. They were also present at protests against social-distancing guidelines in April. While Baca’s association with the group is unclear, video shows them surrounding him to protect him after he fired the shots.
Protesters use a chain to try to remove the Juan de Oñate statue in Albuquerque. (Anthony Jackson/Albuquerque Journal via Zuma Wire)
Earlier Monday, in the northern part of the state, officials had removed a different statue of Onate, who was responsible for the Acoma Massacre in 1599, in which as many as 1,000 Native Americans were killed and many others maimed by amputation. He was accused and convicted by the Spanish colonial government, not known for its sensitivity to the indigenous population of North America, of using “excessive force” against the Acoma people.
In response to the shooting, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said the statue would be removed “until the appropriate civic institutions can determine next steps.”
"We are receiving reports about vigilante groups possibly instigating this violence. If this is true, we will be holding them accountable to the fullest extent of the law, including federal hate group designation and prosecution," Albuquerque Police Chief Michael Geier said in a news release.
Police in Albuquerque had already faced scrutiny for their contacts with the armed militia groups. Earlier this month, a video caught an officer talking to MMA fighter Jon Jones and a group of men, some armed, outside of an academy where he trains.
Stephen Ray Baca, a 31-year-old man has been arrested in a shooting that happened as protesters in New Mexico’s largest city tried to tear down a bronze statue of a Spanish conquistador outside the Albuquerque Museum (Albuquerque Police Department)More
"I'm sure you guys can deescalate just by talking to them," an officer told Jones. "But, obviously with us in uniform, they treat us a little bit different. So I mean, if you guys can talk to them on that level."
The Albuquerque Police Department said this was not their policy. “It has come to our attention that a couple of our officers met with a group as they prepared to attend Monday’s protest. This was not a Department-sanctioned contact, and we are investigating the incident,” wrote the Albuquerque Police Department on Twitter. Gilbert Gallegos, spokesperson for the APD, said the incident was being investigated but the officer had not been disciplined.
“We want to discourage groups from attempting to engage in a public safety role during protests and large gatherings. They are not trained, and they are more likely to escalate tensions if they are carrying firearms and dressed like military or law enforcement officers,” Gallegos said in a statement to the Santa Fe New Mexican.
June 15, 2020, Albuquerque, NEW MEXICO, USA: 061520 ..Demonstrators climb the statue of Don Juan de Onate Statue in Old Town while an armed member of the New Mexico Civil Guard stands by during a protest .Photographed on Monday June 15, 2020. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/ Albuquerque Journal via ZUMA Wire)More
Sen. Martin Heinrich, a Democrat, called on the Justice Department to begin an investigation into the shooting.
“This is not the first report of heavily armed civilian militias appearing at protests around New Mexico in recent weeks,” said Heinrich. “These extremists cannot be allowed to silence peaceful protests or inflict violence.”
The violence from counter-protesters is not limited to New Mexico. In Bethel, Ohio over the weekend, peaceful protesters participating in a Solidarity with Black Lives MATTER? demonstration were met with racial slurs and violence by motorcycle groups, Back the Blue pro-police organizations and gun-owners’-rights advocates. In Facebook videos from the event, counter-protesters were recorded repeatedly using a racial slur against blacks while another showed a group of men following a pro-Black Lives Matter demonstrator to her car and warning her she could get hurt if she stayed.
Village Administrator Travis Dotson told the Cincinnati Enquirer that officials received an anonymous call saying busloads of presumed antifa protesters were on their way to Bethel from Columbus. Dotson said the village had received at least one similar call previously and there is no evidence to suggest that this claim is true.
“It’s kind of amazing how quick social media spreads,” Bethel Police Chief Steve Teague said. “We were told this morning they were busing in protestors. We’re given screen shots from social media with some guns saying, ‘We’re going to Bethel, we’ll take care of what they didn’t take care of yesterday.'”
In the early days of the George Floyd protests, President Trump, Attorney General Bill Barr and other administration officials warned that antifa, an umbrella term for radical left-wing activist groups that sometimes engage in street brawls, was responsible for violent protests. Due to misleading information and outright fabrications on social media, communities went on high alert for what turned out to be imaginary buses filled with protesters bent on destroying suburban and rural municipalities. They never showed, and there has been little evidence from the Justice Department to support claims that antifa activists were behind episodes of looting or rioting. There have, however, been multiple arrests tied to the right-wing militia group “boogaloo,” which explicitly seeks to provoke racial conflict leading to a civil war.
Earlier this month in Washington state, a multiracial family on a camping trip was accused of being antifa and were followed by multiple vehicles that carried passengers with rifles. The panic has led to at least one confrontation at gunpoint with innocent bystanders. Scott Gudmundsen faces felony charges in Colorado after police found him dressed in fatigues and holding two men hostage at gunpoint. They were roofing salesman, wearing polo shirts and protective masks as they went door-to-door following a hailstorm.
Officials said that Gudmundsen called police, said there were two “antifa guys” in the neighborhood and that, “I am going out there to confront them.” Arrest documents state that Gudmundsen knelt on the neck of one of the men, who is a Colorado State football player. The name of the victims were not released but an email from CSU referred to the player as “ a young man of color
Albuquerque police arrest right-wing city council candidate whom witnesses identified as protest shooter
Charles Davis Business Insider•June 16, 2020
Earlier Monday, in the northern part of the state, officials had removed a different statue of Onate, who was responsible for the Acoma Massacre in 1599, in which as many as 1,000 Native Americans were killed and many others maimed by amputation. He was accused and convicted by the Spanish colonial government, not known for its sensitivity to the indigenous population of North America, of using “excessive force” against the Acoma people.
In response to the shooting, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said the statue would be removed “until the appropriate civic institutions can determine next steps.”
"We are receiving reports about vigilante groups possibly instigating this violence. If this is true, we will be holding them accountable to the fullest extent of the law, including federal hate group designation and prosecution," Albuquerque Police Chief Michael Geier said in a news release.
Police in Albuquerque had already faced scrutiny for their contacts with the armed militia groups. Earlier this month, a video caught an officer talking to MMA fighter Jon Jones and a group of men, some armed, outside of an academy where he trains.
"I'm sure you guys can deescalate just by talking to them," an officer told Jones. "But, obviously with us in uniform, they treat us a little bit different. So I mean, if you guys can talk to them on that level."
The Albuquerque Police Department said this was not their policy. “It has come to our attention that a couple of our officers met with a group as they prepared to attend Monday’s protest. This was not a Department-sanctioned contact, and we are investigating the incident,” wrote the Albuquerque Police Department on Twitter. Gilbert Gallegos, spokesperson for the APD, said the incident was being investigated but the officer had not been disciplined.
“We want to discourage groups from attempting to engage in a public safety role during protests and large gatherings. They are not trained, and they are more likely to escalate tensions if they are carrying firearms and dressed like military or law enforcement officers,” Gallegos said in a statement to the Santa Fe New Mexican.
Sen. Martin Heinrich, a Democrat, called on the Justice Department to begin an investigation into the shooting.
“This is not the first report of heavily armed civilian militias appearing at protests around New Mexico in recent weeks,” said Heinrich. “These extremists cannot be allowed to silence peaceful protests or inflict violence.”
The violence from counter-protesters is not limited to New Mexico. In Bethel, Ohio over the weekend, peaceful protesters participating in a Solidarity with Black Lives MATTER? demonstration were met with racial slurs and violence by motorcycle groups, Back the Blue pro-police organizations and gun-owners’-rights advocates. In Facebook videos from the event, counter-protesters were recorded repeatedly using a racial slur against blacks while another showed a group of men following a pro-Black Lives Matter demonstrator to her car and warning her she could get hurt if she stayed.
Village Administrator Travis Dotson told the Cincinnati Enquirer that officials received an anonymous call saying busloads of presumed antifa protesters were on their way to Bethel from Columbus. Dotson said the village had received at least one similar call previously and there is no evidence to suggest that this claim is true.
“It’s kind of amazing how quick social media spreads,” Bethel Police Chief Steve Teague said. “We were told this morning they were busing in protestors. We’re given screen shots from social media with some guns saying, ‘We’re going to Bethel, we’ll take care of what they didn’t take care of yesterday.'”
In the early days of the George Floyd protests, President Trump, Attorney General Bill Barr and other administration officials warned that antifa, an umbrella term for radical left-wing activist groups that sometimes engage in street brawls, was responsible for violent protests. Due to misleading information and outright fabrications on social media, communities went on high alert for what turned out to be imaginary buses filled with protesters bent on destroying suburban and rural municipalities. They never showed, and there has been little evidence from the Justice Department to support claims that antifa activists were behind episodes of looting or rioting. There have, however, been multiple arrests tied to the right-wing militia group “boogaloo,” which explicitly seeks to provoke racial conflict leading to a civil war.
Earlier this month in Washington state, a multiracial family on a camping trip was accused of being antifa and were followed by multiple vehicles that carried passengers with rifles. The panic has led to at least one confrontation at gunpoint with innocent bystanders. Scott Gudmundsen faces felony charges in Colorado after police found him dressed in fatigues and holding two men hostage at gunpoint. They were roofing salesman, wearing polo shirts and protective masks as they went door-to-door following a hailstorm.
Officials said that Gudmundsen called police, said there were two “antifa guys” in the neighborhood and that, “I am going out there to confront them.” Arrest documents state that Gudmundsen knelt on the neck of one of the men, who is a Colorado State football player. The name of the victims were not released but an email from CSU referred to the player as “ a young man of color
Albuquerque police arrest right-wing city council candidate whom witnesses identified as protest shooter
Charles Davis Business Insider•June 16, 2020
Alleged gunman, Steven Baca, that shot at protesters is pictured surrounded by armed men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S., June 16, 2020. in this screen grab obtained from a social media video.
TRNAVA via REUTERS
Steven Ray Baca, a former candidate for Albuquerque's city council, was arrested Tuesday morning after witnesses he shot an anti-racist protester the night before, police said.
Protesters had been trying to pull down a statue of Juan de Oñate, a notoriously cruel Spanish conquistador, when shots rang out.
The victim, Scott Williams, was shot several times in the torso and is in critical but stable condition, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
Police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, arrested a right-wing former candidate for city council on Tuesday and accused him of shooting and critically wounding an anti-racist protester the night before, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
Steven Ray Baca, 31, was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after allegedly shooting one of dozens of protesters who had gathered around a statue of Juan de Oñate, a notoriously cruel Spanish conquistador, that was set to be replaced later this year.
The Oñate statue, outside the Albuquerque Museum in Old Town, was being guarded by members of a volunteer militia, which calls itself the New Mexico Civil Guard. The group has been a regular and heavily armed sight at recent Black Lives Matter protests, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
"For weeks our community has been peacefully protesting against racism," Mayor Tim Keller said at a press conference on Tuesday, announcing the statue's immediate removal. "This kind of violence has no place in Albuquerque. Our hearts go out to the victim and his family."
The mayor said that Baca also violently threw a woman to the ground after "agitating" at the protest. The shooting came later, as some in attendance tried to pull down the statue. A police report states that the attack occurred after Baca got in a scuffle with protesters.
—Megan Abundis (@meganrabundis) June 16, 2020
Albuquerque police arrested Baca on Tuesday morning.
On Twitter, Baca, who ran for city council in 2019, identifies himself as a "Conservative-Libertarian millennial who is here to help cure the RC (Ruling-Class) Virus." He follows a number of right-wing politicians, such as President Donald Trump and Senator Rand Paul, and at least one far-right conspiracy theory account that promotes "QAnon."
As The New York Times noted, Oñate was infamous for cruelty, "even by the standards of his time," with Spanish authorities eventually barring him from the territory of New Mexico. Loathed by the large indigenous community, another statue of Oñate was removed Monday in the northern part of the state.
TRNAVA via REUTERS
Steven Ray Baca, a former candidate for Albuquerque's city council, was arrested Tuesday morning after witnesses he shot an anti-racist protester the night before, police said.
Protesters had been trying to pull down a statue of Juan de Oñate, a notoriously cruel Spanish conquistador, when shots rang out.
The victim, Scott Williams, was shot several times in the torso and is in critical but stable condition, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
Police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, arrested a right-wing former candidate for city council on Tuesday and accused him of shooting and critically wounding an anti-racist protester the night before, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
Steven Ray Baca, 31, was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after allegedly shooting one of dozens of protesters who had gathered around a statue of Juan de Oñate, a notoriously cruel Spanish conquistador, that was set to be replaced later this year.
The Oñate statue, outside the Albuquerque Museum in Old Town, was being guarded by members of a volunteer militia, which calls itself the New Mexico Civil Guard. The group has been a regular and heavily armed sight at recent Black Lives Matter protests, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
"For weeks our community has been peacefully protesting against racism," Mayor Tim Keller said at a press conference on Tuesday, announcing the statue's immediate removal. "This kind of violence has no place in Albuquerque. Our hearts go out to the victim and his family."
The mayor said that Baca also violently threw a woman to the ground after "agitating" at the protest. The shooting came later, as some in attendance tried to pull down the statue. A police report states that the attack occurred after Baca got in a scuffle with protesters.
—Megan Abundis (@meganrabundis) June 16, 2020
Albuquerque police arrested Baca on Tuesday morning.
On Twitter, Baca, who ran for city council in 2019, identifies himself as a "Conservative-Libertarian millennial who is here to help cure the RC (Ruling-Class) Virus." He follows a number of right-wing politicians, such as President Donald Trump and Senator Rand Paul, and at least one far-right conspiracy theory account that promotes "QAnon."
As The New York Times noted, Oñate was infamous for cruelty, "even by the standards of his time," with Spanish authorities eventually barring him from the territory of New Mexico. Loathed by the large indigenous community, another statue of Oñate was removed Monday in the northern part of the state.
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