Che Guevara – Martyr or Murderer?

By Cian McDonagh

In the tapestry that drapes across the 21st century, few figures have split the seams and polarised opinion as much as Ernesto “Che” Guevara. To this day, Che’s name, legacy and image represents defiance of the status quo. His message is still reflected in modern protests all across the globe, his face adorned on college dorms and protest murals. I recently spotted his flowing locks flapping at me from a window of the Castle White Apartment. However, depending on who you ask, Che is either upheld as a beacon of justice or beaten down as a bigoted mass-murder.

Born into a wealthy Argentinian family in 1928, Che had little reason to leave his life of comfort. However, as a young man, Guevara took a motorbike ride across the Length of South America where he witnessed the reality of life for the impoverished majority. Che identified the problem to be corporations that looted the land and marginalised indigenous people. This eye-opening experience influenced Che to explore Marxism and set him on a course that would not only alter his life, but also many others involved in revolutions around the world.

Guatemala in 1954 – Che got his first taste of revolution, joining the communist youth, in a failed coup d'état against the military junta in power at the time. Propelled towards Mexico in 1956, alongside the likes of Fidel Castro, he became a key figure in the Cuban resistance against the infamous dictator Batiste. Through guerilla tactics and constant resistance, the Batiste’s US-backed government was overthrown in 1959. Guevara was awarded for his role in the war, being selected as the minister for industries in the fledgling socialist state. However, the ever-rebellious Che could not settle down. In 1965, he relinquished his Cuban citizenship. In the following years, he went on to address the UN about South Africa’s apartheid, travelled to Cuba’s various communist allies, introduced guerrilla warfare to the Congo rebellion, and was finally captured and killed in 1967 while fighting in the Bolivian resistance.

To many, Che stood as an enemy to western ideals, a threat to democracy and a terrorist. However, when it comes to such a polarising figure, the old saying, “one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter” rings clear. In contrast, Che is also considered a hero to many. A bastion against anti-imperialism, rampant capitalism and a protector of the exploited. It is difficult to classify Guevara as a murderer. There are no records of him causing deaths outside of the conflicts he was involved in. There is no doubt that Che believed in his cause to liberate oppressed peoples. Corruption was rife in Cuba under the Batiste dictatorship–his rule became increasingly tyrannical in the face of a communist revolution. It is estimated that as many as 20,000 civilians were killed by Batiste and many were imprisoned. Once more, in the Congo, Che was involved in revolts against tyrannical leadership. Finally, his last rebellion in Bolivia was driven by his desire to free the country from the cycle of military juntas and dictators.

Although a controversial figure in the western world, it is clear that many discredited Che out of fear. His views on social justice, economic equality, and liberation are just as relevant –to some, controversial–today as they were 6 decades ago. It is clear from his writing that Che believed in rooting for the disenfranchised, downtrodden and tyrannized. Perhaps we don’t have to agree with everything that Che stood for, but we should appreciate him as a man who gave it all up for the causes he believed in.